No Rest
by KittenOfDoomage
Summary: Willow said "The First is scrunched". She has no idea how wrong she is. Takes place immediately after "Chosen". SPUFFY. Please R&R.
1. What Are We Going To Do Now?

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**PREMISE: **I caught the end of "Chosen" on Syfy last week. And decided to play. I'm not giving you a summary. You will just have to give it chance. Rated M for swearing and violence.

* * *

**"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW?"**

* * *

The question had been asked.

In the seconds that passed, there was no other sound except for the wind, and the creaking of the rubble that lay a few feet from them; the rattling of the engine on the ragged out school bus and if you concentrated really, _really_ hard, you could hear the sounds of the Potentials in the bus, talking quietly and fixing up each other's wounds, quiet sobs mixed in every now and then.

Those seconds seemed like an eternity. The question was out there now, there was no taking it back. It was floating around on the slight breeze, searching for the answer. But there wasn't an answer.

Seven years, she had been The Slayer. Seven years, she had fought the forces of darkness with all her might. She'd loved, lost and loved again. She knew right now she should be feeling something. Wanting _something._

For the first time in seven years, Buffy Anne Summers had her future laid out before her.

_And she didn't have a damn clue what to do with herself._

* * *

The question hadn't been answered. Not properly anyway. Giles had started throwing orders around, and in a daze, they'd just followed the grown-up's lead. It could have been argued that they were grown-ups too but it had always been this way with them. Giles was the grown-up, by default, the _only_ grown-up. Buffy and her friends could be sixty and he would still be _the_ grown-up.

Spike had been one to, in his own way.

But then, her traitorous brain was telling her all sorts of things about Spike that she didn't want to think about right now.

_Like the fact you let him die?_

_Shut up brain._

_He could have believed you. But you were pretty much a grade A bitch. So he's dead. And it's your fault._

_No. He knew what he was doing. It…_

_Was your fault._

'Buffy?' Willow's voice forcibly dragged her from her internal argument. She looked over at her red headed friend, whose dark rimmed eyes reminded her that she was not the only one recovering here. She was torn up inside, true, but she had to hold it together until she could at least get into a hot shower and blub until the water was cold. She managed a pained smile at her friend, who only frowned in return. 'Buffy, you're crying, are you okay?'

She wiped at the few tears hastily. 'Yeah. Yeah, fine. Well. No, not fine but we have to get these to safety. That's the important thing right now.'_We'll talk later._ Willow nodded, the underlying message received loud and clear. Buffy missed the scowl from Kennedy that signified the younger Slayer was not going to get the one on one celebration time with Willow that she had wanted. Even if she'd seen it, she probably wouldn't have cared.

Giles had decided they should find somewhere to rest and recharge for a few hours, before moving onto LA. Buffy had remembered a small motel out on the highway, way away from the destruction zone that was Sunnydale. The crater that held…

_I told you to shut up, brain._

Faith's voice floated back to them; she could see the motel. No lights were on. Buffy wasn't surprised. Power plant had been in Sunnydale. So they probably weren't getting any hot water. She felt like crying at that one thing alone. Such a petty thing to cry about. But no one liked being covered in blood and gore. Especially their own blood and gore.

The bus rumbled to a stop, and the application of the brakes made several wounded girls groan in pain. Buffy followed her duty and helped them off the bus, looking to Giles for "grown-up" directions as he came over to them from the office. He smiled fondly at her, and she felt disappointment in her lack of reaction. She still felt a bit betrayed by him, if she was honest. She should probably be taking control of this situation, but she was just too bone weary to care right now. Let someone else give the orders for five minutes. She just wanted a shower.

_Not all you want._

'It looks like the owners left in a hurry. There is a power from a back-up generator but it will need firing up. I found the key. If Willow could do a quick check to make sure there are no malevolent presences here and we'll take up residence for a few hours. I want the slayers that are not severely wounded to do a sweep and find the store room, kitchen, anywhere that may have food. There should be running water. I hope.'

Buffy nodded in compliance, and began helping the wounded into rooms. Her slayers senses were not telling her anything was amiss here, and once she had helped where she could and checked in with Willow, she turned to her own needs and located a room for herself, far enough away from the others to give her privacy, but close enough in case anything did go wrong.

There was running water in the room, and with the generator up and running (thank god for small miracles), Buffy took no time in locating the shower and stripping out of her bloody clothes. She salvaged the camisole (even with a hole from her penetrating wound, it was still wearable) and trousers, putting them to one side so she could try and wash them later. The jacket was ruined so she threw it to the side of the room. The running water provided background noise as she inspected herself in a mirror.

Her body was paler than it had been before. Her blonde hair hung limp and greasy around her shoulders and her eyes were rimmed in a similar way to how Willow's had appeared earlier. The wounds she had sustained were healing quickly, probably quicker than they should have, but she didn't have the energy or will to care right now. Her skin was stained with blood; probably not all hers. She'd not noticed before the fight, not noticed how her ribcage was visible.

It had never occurred to her how very, very hungry she was.

But the shower was more important now.

* * *

The water had been bliss whilst it lasted. After she'd dried off and covered herself in the robe she'd found in the closet, she'd crawled under the duvet on the limpy bed, finding it to be the most comfortable bed she'd slept in in years. Within minutes, the Slayer had been drifting in sleep. But being the Slayer, her sleep was never going to be peaceful.

_"You left him."_ _Her doppelganger was staring at her with a vehemence she'd never seen before. So much hatred coming from her own eyes was terrifying. She looked exactly how she had before the battle, all cream couture and bouncy golden hair. Looking down, she was once again encrusted in the blood she could have sworn she'd washed off not a few minutes before. "You left him to die, and all you care about is getting some sleep? He burned slowly, painfully. Could you even give a shit?"_

_Buffy blinked, shocked at the words coming from her mouth. The other her scoffed and folded her arms over her chest._

_"Of course not. Selfish, stuck up Buffy. The one and only. The Slayer. Sacrificing everything for the greater good. Even if it means sacrificing the greater good."_

_"No. No. Spike knew what he was doing. He knew, I know-"_

_"He didn't know! None of them knew! You didn't know!" Other Buffy threw her hands up in the air and stalked towards her, poking a finger in the direction of her chest. "He's gone, and you think you've got the whole world waiting for you. It is, you know. Waiting for you to save it. This wasn't the end. This was the prequel. The bigger show is about to start. And you'd better not fuck it up or-" Other Buffy suddenly morphed into Spike, who cocked his head and smiled at her. "-or I really am toast, luv."_

_And then he burst into flames._

Buffy awoke with a start to a shaking room. Literally. Screams echoed from the other rooms in the motel, and the Slayer in her immediately made her jump from the bed. She discarded the fluffy robe, ignoring her instinct to crawl to the doorframe and shelter from the quake. The shaking continued as she pulled on her trousers and camisole, forgoing underwear. No need for chivalry in the apocalypse. Within seconds, she was stumbling out of the door and heading towards the screams. The shaking was easing off, and several of the lesser wounded slayers, including Kennedy and Faith, were on guard with weapons, looking for the attack. Buffy nodded at her counterparts before asking where Giles was. Faith pointed her towards the room Willow was in, and Buffy noted the concern on Kennedy's face for the first time.

She took off running toward the room containing her best friend. As she burst through the door, she found the Wiccan on the bed, her head in her hands and Giles and Xander stood in the doorway. Willow was mumbling to herself and Buffy inched closer, regaining her balance as the quaking of the ground stopped.

'It'll stop, it'll stop, it'll stop, it'll stop.' Willow was whispering over and over again. Buffy reached down and took her friends hands, ignoring the men as they left the sanctuary of the doorway, and Kennedy and Faith as they followed her inside.

'Sssshhhh.' Buffy said, smoothing down Willow's hair and kneeling before her. 'It has stopped, Wills, it has.'

'Buffy?' The witch asked, looking at her friend with big, green, fearful eyes. 'Buffy….we didn't stop it. We didn't.' Her voice was croaky and tinged with terror.

'We didn't stop what, Willow?' Giles intersected. Willow didn't break eye contact with Buffy as her bottom lip trembled and tears gathered in her eyes.

'The First. We didn't stop it. We gave it exactly what it wanted, playing right into its hands.'

'But, we killed all those Turok-Han. We destroyed the Hellmouth.' Faith said, her voice edged with desperation at the thought of going back in. The entire room held their collective breath as Willow looked towards the Slayers, shaking her head.

'No. We gave it what it wanted all along. Buffy…' She returned her gaze to her friend.

'It wanted Spike.'

* * *

**A/N: **Hehehe. Lemme know what you think. I know where this one is going and it's going to have everyone in it. The whole shebang. This is the end of the world and it won't go down pretty, people! (But there's gonna be plenty of Spuffy to keep you going)


	2. Playing Into Enemy Hands

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR: **I've given you a teaser for the start. This chapter gives you a little more butter on your toast. Rated M for swearing and violence. Thank you very much to Britany, Ron'Hermione'F'and'A, ginar369 and CanonAntiThesis for the reviews :-) I'm aiming for a chapter a week with this one, although you may be lucky enough to have a multiple posting tonight.

* * *

**PLAYING INTO ENEMY HANDS**

* * *

Buffy had often felt her heart drop, felt the blood run from her face and had a million other clichés happen in her life.

She hated the one where the world dropped out from underneath her the most. That single feeling of losing control, of having something precious torn away was sickening and felt like a thousand stab wounds in your heart. She'd only felt it this bad twice before – when Dawn had been taken from her and when she'd found her mother. Both times had caused a reaction that had been no good for anyone.

She could feel herself heading towards the precipice of another catastrophic event and she could _not _let that happen.

_You'd __just been letting everyone down again. Letting him down again._She felt a hand slip into hers and looked sideways to connect with the blue eyes of her little sister. She felt a small measure of calm re-enter her and turned her attention back to the redhead and the bombshell she'd let drop.

'Willow, what are you saying? It wanted Spike?'

'Yes.' The witch gulped, smiling softly as Kennedy came to sit next to her on the bed and slipped an arm around her in comfort. 'It tried to get him before. With the trigger, it was supposed to lead him to…to the First. But we stopped it from happening. So it waited. Waited for us to do what was foretold.'

'We never found anything like that. How-' Giles started but was interrupted by Willow.

'You said yourself that The First predated the written word. Well, this prophecy did too. It _knew,_ Giles, it knew what we would do, how we would awaken the Slayers and open the Hellmouth, and destroy Sunnydale. It knew Angel would bring Buffy the necklace and that she would give it to Spike. Hell, it knew that Spike would seek out his soul. All of this was predestined.' She looked at Buffy with sympathy. 'You and Spike were predestined. From the start.'

Buffy felt herself go white as sheet. She waited for the inevitable denial from the male members of the room, but none came. It seemed they were as shocked as her. But she could guarantee they weren't feeling the shame and anger at herself that she was.

_Because all along he was meant for you. And you played into the enemy's hand by breaking him down and destroying him, then finally giving him that necklace and killing him with your love. Just like you killed Angel, and your mom and everyone else who had died because of you. All those girls in the Hellmouth – you did exactly what it wanted._

A hand on her shoulder stopped her internal musing and she looked up at Giles. 'We weren't to know Buffy.'

'No. We didn't know. We were ignorant. From the start.' She whispered at her former Watcher.

'If we hadn't brought Buffy back…' Xander muttered and Willow stopped him.

'It wouldn't have made a difference. It wasn't just that one thing that shook the balance up. Spike's soul, the mass killing of Potentials - that started it. The awakening of the Slayers, and Spike's sacrifice, combined with the closing of the Hellmouth…this was the culmination of The First's Preparation.'

'Pr-preparation?' Faith asked. 'You mean, this thing still ain't done? We've got more comin'?' Willow nodded, her own fright and anxiety heightened by the fear she heard in the usually cocky slayer's voice.

'I saw…it needed Spike's soul. To feed on. A soul forged in the purest way.' She fixed Buffy was a sympathetic gaze. 'A soul forged by love. William was a lovesick poet as a human and as a vampire he loved more fiercely than any other on the planet.'

'If Angel had worn it-' Buffy started, only for Willow to shake her head.

'Angel couldn't have activated it, his soul wasn't good enough. If he had worn it, we would have all died and The First would have found another way.'

'So it'ss better Spike died?' Xander asked, and withered under the twin glares the Summers women placed on him. 'I didn't mean it like that! I mean, if we were all dead, there'd be no one to fight it now.'

'I don't think we can fight it now.' Willow mumbled and all eyes turned to her. 'I mean – it wanted Spike for a reason. I think he's fuelling it now, and it's going to manifest somehow. I don't know how. I just know it isn't over and that everything up until now had been predestined. I don't know anything else.' Willow signed heavily. 'I do know that we can't stay here.'

'If I may ask,' Giles took off his glasses and began to clean them. 'How do you know all this?'

'Before the quake, I fell asleep. I saw…I saw Tara.' She finished quietly, avoiding eye contact with her girlfriend, who visibly tensed. 'She told me what we'd done. But she doesn't know how to fix it. The only one who can kill The First is Spike and he's gone.'

'I dreamt too.' Buffy said quietly. 'I saw, well, I saw me. And then Spike. She said that we didn't know what we'd done. Said that the world was waiting for us to save it, and that what we'd done was just the prequel. Then she was Spike and he said I had to save him before he really burned.' She stopped, her eyes not meeting with anyone's as she rose from her position kneeling on the floor. 'He's not dead.'

'Buffy, we can't know that for certain.' Giles started but Buffy shook her head.

'No. I know my dreams, Giles. How often have they been wrong?'

'How often have we wrongly interpreted them?' He asked pointedly.

'I'm not interpreting this wrong. He told me he would burn for real if I didn't save the world.' Buffy's green eyes burned into the blue of her former Watcher and he backed down. 'I can't – I mean…' She trailed off, feeling hot tears prick at her eyes, knowing that they wouldn't be held back this time. 'Two years. Two years he fought by our sides. And we all treated him like crap.' Dawn's "_hey"_ gave her pause and she sent an apologetic smile in her sister's direction, squeezing the hand she still held. 'We're all guilty of it at some point or another. Yeah, he was evil. Once. But he changed, he fought to be good, no matter how much we beat him down.' _Cos you were a damn expert at that weren't you?_ Her mind accused and she felt a tear slip down her face. 'I can't just ignore him now Giles. We never gave him the benefit of the doubt, never _trusted_ him. I think it's about time we did. He died for us, did what we believed was the right thing. I can't let him suffer for our ignorance. It isn't right.'

Giles nodded, his mouth clamped shut in a thin line. He knew he had no right to argue the point with Buffy, even if he did feel that his plan to kill Spike may have actually saved them in the long run. But, being a man with half a brain, he wasn't going to point that out to the irate and emotional Slayer in front of him.

The room fell into silence for a few moments as everyone took in the heavy volume of information dumped on them. Willow was the first to pipe up.

'So what are we going to do now?'

Buffy was beginning to hate that question.

* * *

The bus trundled into LA with most of its occupants sleeping. As much as Giles had pressed for them to all rest up before leaving, Buffy insisted they needed to get a move on and find out what they could about stopping the First for good. So they had set off for LA as soon as daylight hit the motel.

A few hours later, and the battered school bus was pulling up in front of the Hyperion, the place Willow said Angel had been living. Only when they entered, the place was deserted and judging by the mouldy food in the fridge, it had been that way for a while. Buffy had ordered the group to find a room and use a bed for a few short hours whilst she and Faith (the two perkier members of the bedraggled troops) searched out the dark vampire.

It had taken the shaking down of several demons and the visitation of a couple less-than-savoury demon bars to locate their brooding champion.

Who had a nice plush office in a high rise downtown, which made Buffy feel spectacularly lower class as she stepped through the lobby in her dirtied jeans and ripped top. And not for the first time in her life, she became exceptionally self-conscious about the fact that she wasn't wearing any underwear.

'Remind me after this, we _all _need new clothes.' She whispered to her sister slayer as they headed for the elevators, ignoring the stares of disgust and wonder they were receiving. Faith shrugged as she pushed the button for the floor they had been informed they would find Angel on.

'Maybe Brood Boy will have a large expense account we can violate.' The dark slayer responded, tapping her foot impatiently as they waited for the elevator to arrive. Buffy couldn't get in quick enough as it did, and was exceptionally grateful that no one followed them; nor did anyone join them on the way up.

As the doors opened in another large and extravagant lobby, she was thinking that Faith's idea of asking Angel for a teeny bit of financing was not a bad idea. The thought left her head quickly when a green demon with a very loud sense of fashion bumped into her and knocked her to the floor. She jumped up, quick to fall into a defensive stance, and even quicker to fall into confusion as Faith high-fived the demon and smiled brightly.

'Hey, Lorne, long time no see. How's it hanging?'

The green demon flourished his hand and smiled back, revealing a set of very white, very human looking teeth. 'Five-by-five, cupcake!' Buffy's eyes went wide. 'And who might this be?' He waved a hand in her direction and Faith grinned.

'This would be the famous Buff-y.' She finished.

'Buffy?! Oh, my goodness, I've always wanted to meet _The_ Slayer, the one who had our Angelcakes in such a snit all the time!' He enveloped her in a hug she hadn't been expecting and then moved away just as quickly. 'I assume you're both here to see the big man himself?' Buffy nodded and went to speak, but was cut off by the exuberant Lorne. 'He's right this way, just called a meeting in fact. You would not believe some of the stuff going on round here lately! Everywhere in fact!' He moved past them, and Faith took a bewildered Buffy's arm and they followed him over to an office with very large double doors and glass panelling on the side. Buffy followed dumbly, taking note of the stranger and stranger things in this apparently "evil" law firm. A small suited man in a lucha libre mask with the number 5 on the forehead wandered past, pushing a cart with lots of envelopes and packages on it. As Lorne opened the doors to the office that apparently contained her ex-boyfriend, she noticed of all people that _Harmony_ was sat at a desk answering phone calls.

'Is that Harmony?' She asked, receiving a glare from the vampiress in question. Her query went unnoticed as she was ushered into the office and came face to…well, chest as usual, with Angel, who enveloped her in a bigger hug than Lorne had, breathing her name into her hair.

A few days ago, hell, even yesterday, she would have welcomed the comfort and hugged him back. But the last 24 hours had shook her up in ways she didn't want to comprehend, and the weirdness of this building was just the last straw. She pushed Angel away and stormed over to the window, taking in the bright cityscape of LA in the afternoon light. She turned, seeing Angel bathed in sunlight and her brain exploded.

'Sunlight? Are you human now?' Buffy demanded. 'Harmony is a receptionist, you've got bright green demons welcoming us in the lobby, I'm fairly sure I just saw the devil heading up the stairs with a tennis racket, and this office is un-frigging-believable! Is this bizarroworld?' She felt like she was going to hyperventilate. Angel raised his hands and stepped forward and the Slayer took in the other occupants of the room that she hadn't noticed before. Wesley was there – looking a little more rugged than he had. A small woman and a black man stood together looking bewildered at her outburst and the green demon, Lorne, stood next to Faith, who was staring at her like she'd expected this to happen sooner or later.

'It's necro-tempered glass, Buffy. I'm still a vampire.' He cocked his head to the side in a manner so like Spike, it made her heart hurt. She shook her head.

'I'm sorry. It's been a stressful couple of days.'

'I noticed.' Angel grimaced, 'I got word that you lost a lot of people.' His voice was strangely controlled.

'You know about-'

'Spike.' He said, no trace of venom in his voice. 'Yeah, I know.'

Buffy nodded. 'We didn't stop it.'

'I know that too.' Angel said, motioning towards the adjoining room with the large table in the middle. The furthest wall was set up with several television screens, all showing a similar scene; fights, fires, chaos and carnage. All the occupants gravitated towards the room and the screens, and Buffy frowned.

'Did you know this-'

'No.' Angel said, shaking his head. 'This started a few hours ago. All over the world. I thought the amulet would be the end of it. I guess that it was some kind of catalyst to all this.'

'The First wanted Blondie all along.' Faith interjected, and Wesley cleared his throat.

'Do we know why?'

'We don't have much in the way of research materials. All we have is a dozen tired fighters back at your old haunt. And if this is starting all over the world…' Faith replied, her eyes on her sister slayer, whose own eyes were fixed on the screens, currently showing a mob in London burning down the Houses of Parliament.

'It's going to start here before too long.' Fred said. 'We need to get researching. I can go down to the lab, see if this is some kind of virus.' Angel nodded and looked to Wesley.

'You can use your source books to see if we have anything on the First.' The ex-Watcher nodded and Buffy turned her gaze to him.

'The First predates the written word.' She pointed out. Wesley smiled.

'So do some of my books.' He smiled. 'Do you have any information for us to go on?' He asked the Slayers.

'Willow said everything up until the Hellmouth closing was inevitable. That the First wanted Spike, because…' Buffy didn't want to say it, knowing it would hurt Angel deeply, but in the same moment, feeling nothing but pride and love for the blonde vampire who had sacrificed his all, even without knowing the outcome. 'Because his soul was pure and forged in love.' She didn't look at Angel, not needing to see the hurt on his face. 'She said that the potentials becoming slayers, the destruction of the hellmouth; it was all key to some major plan, maybe a prophecy and that the only one who can kill The First is Spike.'

'But he's dead.' Angel said, immediately feeling bad for saying it.

'Thanks for stating the obvious.' Buffy spat, hatred filling her for a brief second, before it was overwhelmed by sadness. She folded her arms. 'We need to find a way to get to him. But we need your help with something else first.' Angel nodded, his eyes falling on his first love, and the way she had changed knocked him for six. Gone was the fragile, emotional teenager he had shared stolen kisses with and so thoroughly broken and in her place was a strong woman, mourning the man who had loved her without condition, who had not put her on a pedestal as he had. He knew his failures. His thoughts drifted to Cordelia. She had been his chance at redemption, his _true_ chance, still was if she ever woke up. But now, he had only the opportunity presented to him.

'Anything you need, Buffy, anything you need.'


	3. The Roof Is On Fire

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR: **The First wasn't scrunched then ay? Things are going terribly wrong in the Buffyverse and now it's spilled over into the Angelverse. Oh dear. Buffy is dealing with a lot of conflicted feelings. Is there something more than just the First at work here? Hmmm. What will Wesley's books throw up? (If anyone can tell me who the title is a nod to, then you get a cookie)

* * *

**THE ROOF IS ON FIRE**

* * *

Faith had been right about the expense account, at least. Angel had ordered in food and clothing for the whole slayer battalion camped out at the Hyperion and more besides. Buffy had rearmed her slayers, and finally gotten a hot meal whilst waiting for any answers from Wesley and Fred. The scientist girl had been the first to turn up a big fat no, but had promised to carry on researching. Angel had been trying to reach Wesley for the last half an hour without success.

Buffy tapped her foot and watched the clouds gather over LA. It had been twelve hours since she'd arrived in Angel's office, and the sun was supposed to be rising. But darkness had befallen the city, apparently never to resurface. She'd watched the thick black clouds cover the sky, blacker clouds than she had ever seen in her life. The odd rumble of thunder caressed the air and she felt that she should not be in this building. Even from this high, she could hear the sirens roaming the streets and she hoped for their sake, that the girls had remained inside. She wanted to go to them, to her sister and friends, to leave the uncomfortable feeling in this high rise and rejoin her forces.

But she wanted none of that as much as she wanted to be in Spike's arms right now.

If she shut her eyes, she could feel them around her, felt his cool skin touching hers, hear his voice.

Why'd he have to leave her?

Her neck tingled and she opened her eyes, turning to find Angel standing behind her, a look on his face that she couldn't place.

'You really loved him huh?' He asked, and she nodded, moving to sit on the sofa. He joined her, sitting close enough to offer comfort, but not close enough to offend. _How times have changed us._ Buffy's mind countered.

'You love Cordelia, from what I hear.' She said, not looking at him but inspecting the dirt under her fingernails. Angel nodded.

'I do. Although, whether she'll ever wake up to hear it…' He sighed heavily. 'A right pair we make, huh?'

'I guess.' Buffy sat back, slouching into the cushions, as Angel regarded her with a sideways look.

'Spike was always an idiot.' He started and Buffy glared at him. 'He followed Dru around with no regard for himself, always getting into scraps to defend her honour, even when she had none to defend. She ran around on him like nothing I'd ever seen.' He forwent mentioning his own infidelity with the brunette madwoman. 'He was so loyal – I used to taunt him for it. I used to punish him for it.' He sighed again, and then smiled. 'But he'd fight tooth and nail for love. Half the reason he was an idiot.'

'He was where it came to me,' Buffy said quietly. 'I was nothing but a bitch to him. I never saw how much he'd changed.' She sniffed, feeling tears welling up again. 'I hurt him. Again and again. Left him for dead. Even when I pushed him too far, and he left…he still came back. And I still didn't…I told him I believed in him, when I should have told him so much more.' Tears were tracking freely down her cheeks now. 'I loved him for so long, and it took watching him die to make me say it.'

'You'd been hurt before.'

'That doesn't justify hurting someone else.' Buffy spat at him, and he turned to her fully.

'Spike was a vampire. He could take it. He'd taken far worse.' Angel looked out at the black clouds. 'I did worse to him. And if he were here now, you know damn well, he'd be telling you to stop feeling sorry for yourself and start fighting. If you want him back, Buffy, you're gonna have to fight. We're all going to have to fight.'

A knock at the door made them both look up, and they found Wesley stood in the doorway with a large book in his hands, Fred next to him, and a concerned expression on both their faces.

'Sorry to interrupt-'

'You found something?' Buffy jumped up, followed by Angel.

'We think so.' Wesley carried the book to Angel's desk, the Slayer hot on his heels. 'I found a passage in an old Roman volume, written in ancient Latin. I translated it through. The passage was originally from a mental patient, claiming to have visions of an apocalypse. This was transcribed by a Roman scholar. "_Heros surget per cinerem amoris, tenebris ad lucem, morte ad vitam, malum intra omnes consumam anima eius, et consumat omnes animas, et solum purissimo anima possit restituere statera_."'

Buffy stared at him blankly. 'Latin isn't my strong point, Wes.'

'Oh, yes, sorry,' he cleared his throat. '"The hero shall rise through the ashes of love, darkness to light, death to life, the evil inside all will consume his soul, and consume all souls, and only the purest soul can restore the balance." That is the rough translation. It lines up against what you have told us so far. I've been on the phone to Willow, who explained what she had seen in her vision. Spike is the only one that can kill the First.'

'So we have to find him.' Angel said, receiving a shocked looked from Buffy at his use of the word "we". He shrugged. She made a note to continue their conversation later; there was something the vampire wasn't telling her.

'There were other phrases written with this passage, from the same man. He spoke of "mundus ex pulvis et rubicundo" which means "a world of dust and red". I don't know if this means our world or not. But this phrase "pestis ira", means "plague of rage". I think this describes what we have been seeing. People are losing all reason. Combining this with the "evil inside" mentioned in the longer script, I believe that the scales have been tipped in the favour of evil, and this is the balance that has to be restored.'

'And the only way to do that is to kill The First?' Buffy asked. Wesley nodded.

'Spike was a champion. He died, along with a good many other forces for good. Your death was a loss to the side of good, regardless of your return. So it would make sense that the scales would be balanced by the destruction of a great evil.'

'I don't understand why Wolfram and Hart gave me the amulet in the first place.' Angel pondered out loud, only to be answered by a feminine voice behind him, which made him jump out of his skin.

'Because we were played too.' Eve stood behind them as all four turned. 'Hi. I was sent to clear up this little mishap. The First was once a client of ours, being that she and the Senior Partners go _way_ back, if you know what I mean. Before the original demons were banished from this realm. They came from the same collective. Just different directives. The Senior Partners, they have no interest in destroying this realm. Yet anyway.'

'Are you going to be getting to the point or do you just really like the sound of your own voice?' Buffy asked snidely, her dislike of this women intense and immediate. Eve walked up to her, and folded her arms whilst regarding the other blonde.

'So you're her. Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I'd have thought someone of your…reputation, wouldn't be so _diminutive._'

Buffy sneered. 'I'm the same height as you.'

Angel stepped inbetween them, holding his hands up. 'By all means Buffy, beat her down later. Right now, I want to hear what she has to say.' He turned to Eve expectantly. 'But be quick about it.'

'The First is interrupting the flow of things. Just like the Beast did. Things are going to get very bad, very quickly. You need to find your champion, Slayer, and be quick about it. He is the only one who can stop her.'

'So I keep being told. If you hadn't sent that amulet-'

'The First still would have found a way.' Eve said bluntly. 'This was going to happen. But it doesn't have to end. Certainly the Senior Partners are not happy with the state of things. With everything out of balance, good and evil will suffer. If the world implodes, we all go with it. The First needs to be dealt with.'

'Is that all?' Angel asked.

'It's all I can tell you.' Eve replied coolly.

'Well, aren't you helpful?' Buffy said sarcastically. Eve smiled at her and turned in her Manolo Blahniks, marching from the room. The Slayer watched her go, a few seconds of her gaze full of jealousy. _I never get to wear nice shoes like that. But at least I'm not an evil ho. _She turned back to Angel. 'Well, you sure have some dodgy staff. Harmony, _that _bimbo. Were'd you staff from? Evil blondes are us?'

Angel smirked. 'She's not _my_ staff, actually. And Harmony was Wes's idea.'

'I thought a familiar-' He was cut off by the phone ringing and all four occupants of the office turned to stare at it. Angel picked up after the fourth ring.

'Hello?' He asked, and listened for a few seconds, his frown deepening intently. He put the phone down and turned to Buffy. 'We need to get to the Hyperion. Now.'

* * *

'Giles!' Buffy shouted as she entered the hotel, Angel hot on her heels. The ex-librarian appeared from the office, a nasty gash on his forehead.

'Buffy.' He breathed in relief. 'I'm glad you made it back okay.'

The Slayer regarded him and recalled their quick sojourn through the streets of LA. People were going crazy, starting fires, trashing shops and buildings. She'd seen one man stab another for not saying "thank you" after he'd stepped out of his way. The darkness was cloaking the city, choking it and rolling blackouts were causing more carnage. It was a miracle they had made it to the hotel with no incidents.

'What happened?' Angel asked, motioning to the gash on Giles' forehead.

'One of the Slayers attacked me. She started screaming that it was unfair, that she'd fought enough and watched friends die. She went beserk. Three of them in actual fact. They left the hotel. I tried to stop them, hence the injury.'

'The Slayers went crazy too?' Buffy paled. 'So this can affect everyone?'

'The evil inside.' Angel muttered and Giles raised a questioning eyebrow.

'Angel will explain,' Buffy answered his unspoken question, 'Where are Dawn and Willow, and the others?'

'The Slayers are in the two rooms on the first floor, and Willow and Xander are with Dawn in the office. Faith is in the kitchen, I believe.' Buffy nodded, and headed towards the office, leaving Angel to explain their findings to Giles. She found her sister and Willow deeply involved in books, whilst Xander snoozed in a big chair in the corner. The Slayer found herself a chair and sat down, drawing the attention of her sister and best friend.

'Hey Buffy.' Willow said, her face tired and drawn. 'Did you find out anything else?'

'Yeah. Some prophecy that pretty much told us what we knew with fancier words. And that the world is going nuts. Something about rage plague…which just sounds like a heavy metal band to me.' She sighed and glanced over at Xander. 'Giles said some of the slayers went nuts.'

'Yeah. Clare and Rona. And another girl, I don't remember her name. They went beserk. Giles made us lock ourselves in the office. He looked pretty banged up.'

'We need to start looking for Spike.' Buffy said, her face grim. Dawn and Willow nodded. 'The only thing Wesley gave us to go on is "a world of red and dust".'

'That doesn't help.' Willow said, looking down at the book. 'If we had anything of Spike's, we could do a locator spell.'

'I don't have anything of my own, let alone Spike's.' Buffy whispered, her heart breaking a little bit more. This was looking impossible. The three girls sat in silence, Willow and Buffy with identical looks of dismay, Dawn with an expression of guilt, until the youngest raised her hand.

'I have something of Spike's.' She said, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. Buffy watched as her little sister reached into her pocket and withdrew the silver lighter that Spike had rarely been separated from. Her eyes widened.

'Where did you get that?' Buffy demanded. Dawn turned it over in her hand, closing her eyes to the memory –

'_I know we haven't seen eye to eye bit, not for the past few months anyways. But I want you to know, you were always real to me, and I love you every bit as much as I love your big sis, yeah? If I'd ever had a sister, I'd have wanted her to be exactly like you.'_

She opened her eyes, tearful blue orbs connecting with her sister's hazel ones as she smiled softly. 'He gave it to me, the last time we spoke, before…before the Hellmouth. He knew he wasn't coming back out again. He didn't say it, but he knew.' She held it out to Buffy, who took the silver zippo and stared at it in wonder, the last piece of Spike left on the earth.

'He said as much. The night before.' Buffy whispered, closing her hand around the lighter and bringing her fist to her mouth, kissing her knuckles softly. 'I wish it hadn't been this way.'

'We can stop this Buffy.' Willow urged. 'We can use that to find Spike.'

'The fact that he is the one to stop the First doesn't mean he can stay with us.' Buffy said, a single tear escaping down her face. She'd been crying far too much these past few days.

'You have to try though.' Xander's voice said quietly from the corner. 'If it was Anya…just to see her one more time…I'd do anything.' He smiled softly. 'You have to try, Buffy.'

'I know. I wasn't saying I wasn't going to.' She smiled forlornly at her best male friend. 'It'll just be hard is all.'

'Love is.' Xander said, standing up. He moved to Buffy's side. 'It's down to us, Buffy, as always. The Scoobies against the apocalypse. No matter how hard it is, we'll get through.'

'Wouldn't have it any other way.' Buffy said, standing and hugging him tightly. Willow stood up and joined the hug, quickly followed by Dawn. For a moment, stood there, holding all of her friends and them holding her in return, Buffy felt like everything was going to be alright.

And then the chaos came indoors.

* * *

A smash was the first indication. The group hug had ended abruptly, and Buffy had been the first out into the corridor, only to find an enraged Kennedy, brandishing a broken bottle at Faith, who had her fists raised, ready to beat down the younger Slayer.

'Back off, Kennedy. I won't hesitate to take you out.'

Willow pushed past Buffy, holding her hands out in a gesture of peace. 'Baby, what's wrong?'

Kennedy turned the bottle on Willow. 'Don't come fucking near me!' She growled. Willow took a step back, shocked at the venom in her lover's voice. 'And don't call me baby, you lying bitch. You're supposed to be on MY side. But you've barely spoken to me since her pet vampire died.'

'Ken-'

'NO!' Kennedy shouted, raising her voice louder. 'I see who you are. She's more important than me! I get it. Thought it might change now I have the power too. Now I'm a slayer too. But I'll never be good enough.'

'You need to calm down.' Willow held her hands palm flat, trying to will her lover to settle down, but she could see and feel that the rage was too far ingrained. It had taken the younger girl over and there was no stopping her. Several of the other slayers stood on the stairs, fear etched on their faces. Kennedy took a step forward and Buffy pulled Willow backwards, falling into a defensive stance in front of her friend. Kennedy sneered.

'See? Buffy comes first. Think you can beat me down? I'm just as strong as you now.'

'Betting you're not as smart.' Faith said, drawing Kennedy's attention. She scowled at Faith.

'I don't see why you're in on this. You know how it feels, always being second best to that bitch. Watching her fuck vampires and still be numero uno.' Buffy's mood darkened with her words and she waited for Faith to respond.

'She's been doing it longer.' Faith shrugged. 'She's better at it.'

'Oh yeah, I forgot. You tried to be number one and you got a bunch of us killed. So you're pretty shit at it too.'

'You wanna lead, Kennedy? You wanna make the hard decisions?' Faith asked, and Kennedy glared at her.

'I'd make better decisions than both of you.'

'Kennedy, this is just the rage speaking. You don't mean these things.' Willow said from behind Buffy. Giles looked to Angel, knowing that the rage just amplified existing feelings and issues, made the evil side come, the side that wanted to hurt people. With the Slayers, it was going to be substantially more dangerous.

'Fuck off. I'm done with you.' She rushed Buffy, only to be side tackled by Faith. A scuffle ensued, as Faith and Kennedy rolled around on the floor. Buffy attempted to intervene but was kicked off by a raging Kennedy and she went flying into Willow, knocking them both down to the floor. As they struggled up, a cry echoed from the mass of limbs on the floor and blood splashed on the floor.

'Ken!' Willow cried and she scrambled to her feet, followed quickly by Buffy. Magic crackled between her fingertips. 'Seperate!' The two slayers flew apart and Buffy rushed to Faith's side. The blood had come from her, as Kennedy had caused a nasty gash down the dark slayer's face with the bottle. The oldest Slayer glared at Kennedy, who was pushing Willow away from her.

'Don't touch me!' Willow fell backwards, caught by Xander, and could only watch as Kennedy stormed out of the hotel, slamming and practically shattering the door on her way out. Faith whimpered as Buffy touched the cut and looked to Giles.

'This is deep. It needs stitches.' Dawn said, coming to her sister's side. Buffy nodded, helping Faith to her feet.

'Giles.' She said, quietly. 'Is this going to happen to everyone?' He nodded solemnly and Buffy sighed, looking at the damage on Faith's face. This was far from over.

And there was no knowing who would be taken next.

* * *

**A/N: **I really don't like Kennedy. Dunno if you noticed.


	4. Through The Never

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR: **Things are not going well for our merry band of survivors, but we're getting some touching moments in here. I love the Scooby dynamic and always feel it got lost a little in season seven, until they did their little walk through Sunnydale High of course. I loved that scene. Anyway, on with the show. I'll even start you off with a bit of Spuffy goodness! (Once again, a cookie to whoever can tell me where the title comes from)

* * *

**THROUGH THE NEVER**

* * *

Buffy smiled at him, running a hand down his face. She'd memorised it the night before Sunnydale fell, making sure she remembered every single detail and line of his face. The blue of his eyes, a blue she'd never been able to identify before. She could drown in the ocean of his eyes.

That was probably the cheesiest thing she'd ever thought in her head. She'd best not say it out loud.

Neither of them was speaking anyway, too caught in the moment to ruin it with words. And they both had a brilliant talent for putting their feet in their mouths so the silence was welcoming. It was humorous in a way, the damage they could both cause with their fists was outdone on most occasions by the damage both of them could do with their words.

_Don't you get it, don't you see? You came back wrong._

_Say it's true, say I do want to. It wouldn't be you, Spike. It would never be you. You're beneath me._

She wishes she could take her words back, just as he wishes he could. Truth is, it's always been him. And he knows it.

He lent his forehead against her and breathes through a smile, running his hand up and down her arm, relishing in the warmth of her skin. She smiled back, placing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth, reaching up and grasping his hand as it reaches her shoulder, stopping his ghosting touch. She brought his hand to her mouth and kissed his fingertips, her hazel eyes never leaving his as she did so. Pulling his hand away, he pulled her into an embrace, kissing her forehead and burying his face in her hair, and she can feel him sobbing against her.

She doesn't want to leave here. She never wants to. But when he starts crying, she knows –

Buffy awoke with a start and tears in her eyes. She rolled over and cuddled her pillow, eyeing up the small clock on the nightstand with disdain. It was 4am. She'd been asleep a mere two hours. She wanted more sleep, god knows, she could use more time in her dreams. With him.

She wiped her eyes and scrambled off the bed, pulling on her jeans. She moved to the door and poked her head out, looking around for any other sign of life. When none presented itself, she headed downstairs and found Willow in the lobby, cross legged and meditating, Spike's silver lighter sat on the floor in front of her. One glance at her friend revealed puffy eyes – Willow had been crying again. Kennedy was no great loss to herself, but she knew her best friend was at least a little bit in love with the cocky young Slayer. She was bound to be upset, but had thrown herself into her mission with gusto. Buffy just wondered how long she had been down here unprotected.

'My slayer bodyguard went for a drink. I'm perfectly aware of what is around me, Buffy, don't worry.' Willow said, making Buffy jump.

'Will! Don't scare me like that. And get out of my head.' She smiled and Willow opened her eyes, relaxing and rolling her neck as she pulled herself out of the trance.

'Sorry. Spike used to hate it too. And you've been dreaming about him again.' The red head said, knowingly. Buffy nodded and sat opposite her on the cold, strangely welcoming floor. 'Dreams are a sanctuary. I dream about Tara all the time. I guess Kennedy knew it.'

'You can't help loving her still.' Buffy said, quietly.

'No I can't.' Willow sighed and looked past Buffy to the door. Buffy followed her gaze.

'Is it still-'

'Carnage, chaos and destruction?' Willow asked and her best friend nodded. The witch sighed. 'Yeah. It's getting worse by all account. Spreading fast. We haven't lost anymore of ours, but then, they're all asleep. Except Dawn and Jessica. They're in the kitchen. Dawn said she couldn't sleep, she was having nightmares.'

'Nightmares about what?' Buffy asked, her eyebrows knitting close together. Willow was about to answer when Dawn walked into the room.

'None of your business.' Dawn said, stamping past her big sister and up the stairs. Buffy looked taken aback and watched her sister leave, slamming the door to the room she'd chosen.

'Is she-?' Buffy asked, worried that her sister had become like the others.

'No, she's just tired.' Jessica said, following Dawn's path out of the kitchen. 'She hasn't slept much since Sunnydale.'

The eldest Slayer nodded and fingered a loose thread on her jeans, her thoughts drifting to her dream about Spike.

'You miss him, huh?' Jessica asked.

'God, is everyone a mind reader today?' Buffy exclaimed, flushing red. Jessica laughed.

'No. Just…my mom used to get that look on her face after my dad died. I only met Spike a couple times. Mostly I stood at the back. He was a major hottie though.' She blushed a little. 'Sorry, I know it's your territory.'

Buffy smiled, her interest in the thread peaked. 'Yeah he was. And I do.'

'I keep telling you, you'll see him again.' Willow said calmly, reaching out to touch Buffy's hand. As her skin connected with Buffy's, the room around her disappeared and she was standing in a red desert, a sandstorm blowing around her, except the sand felt like glass cutting into her skin. She looked around, squinting against the blowing gale. A cave sat in a unnatural looking cliff formation before her and she pushed against the wind, stumbling towards the entrance of the cave. She wasn't sure if it was the wind screaming or people, and the ground seems to turn to liquid under her feet, the colour of bloody sand. She made it to the cave and fell onto hard concrete, which was slick with liquid. The screams of the wind disappeared, along with the entrance to the cave and Willow pushed herself up with her hands.

Looking around and wiping her hands on her jeans, she found she couldn't see anything. She reached out, palms flat and took a step forward. Her hands connected with a wall, and as she hit the solid surface, a guttural scream echoed through the space and burned her ears. She winced and followed the wall with her hands, heading towards the sound. Minutes seemed to stretch into hours in the dark silence, pierced only occasionally with the same scream.

She turned; the scream was louder than before. She was close.

The First came roaring out of nowhere and filled her vision. _HE IS MINE. LEAVE!_

-'Just hope that he can come home with us.' Buffy finished saying, as Willow felt like she'd crashed back into the floor of the room as she fell forward, gasping for air. Buffy stared at her, confused. 'Willow, are you okay?'

The witch looked up, her eyes wide with fear. 'I saw…when I touched you…I saw the First. And I think I found Spike.'

* * *

'She saw Spike through touching Buffy?' Dawn asked, confusion written across her face. 'I thought the locator spell would work with the lighter? She'd been meditating for hours and hadn't found him that way.'

Willow whispered something, and Dawn stopped talking as all eyes in the room turned to the witch. The younger Slayers had been exempt from the meeting, and Faith was still asleep, healing from the incident with Kennedy, with some special help from Wood, who was only just back on his feet himself, having been mostly unconscious since their arrival in LA. It was just the Scoobies, Dawn and Giles in the room, along with Angel. Giles' eyes widened in dismay, and Buffy guessed he had heard what Willow said. Angel also had an expression that didn't spell goodness.

'What was that Willow?' Xander asked, moving slightly closer.

'It's-it's because they belong to each other.' Willow rasped. Her throat was hoarse and her eyes even puffier than they had been before her short glimpse into another dimension. 'The First was seriously pissed at me for being there. Got all up in my face. I could hear Spike, he was screaming.' Buffy winced. 'But that's why Buffy keeps dreaming about him. He's coming to her for refuge from the First.'

'Whatever it is doing, it's hurting him bad. Spike's never backed down from pain, from a fight before. He's tough, if nothing else.' Angel said, his eyes locking with Buffy's. Giles' grimaced and Buffy knew what he was thinking. He wasn't looking at the big picture. She knew he was thinking that if he'd managed to kill Spike back when Principal Wood and he had collaborated to kill what was apparently her soul mate, they wouldn't be having this problem. It was creating animosity between them. She wasn't enjoying the feeling.

'I still don't understand how we are supposed to find this place again.'

'Buffy.' Willow said. The Slayer looked up sharply. 'I can get there with Buffy. If I just focus, I can get us there. But I need to rest first. I don't want to go in all….ammoless.'

'I want to get some weapons too.' Buffy said. 'I'm taking the Scythe. First was never crazy about that piece of weaponry.'

'I'm coming too.' Angel said. 'You need more than just Buffy. And the journey might wipe Willow out. I'm not letting you go alone.'

Willow nodded at the same time as Buffy. 'I should be able to manage that.' Giles went to speak up but Buffy stopped him.

'No. Me, Angel and Willow will do fine. I'm not having anyone else risk themselves.' Buffy stood up, indicating that she was done talking.

'Cause it's all about you.' Dawn spat. She glared at her sister. 'Of course it's always been all about Buffy. The Chosen One. You get the real life, the real friends, the duty, the powers and the guy. Of course. Poor little _Dawnie_ left all on her own. Could you even care if you died again? No, you couldn't. You couldn't give one fucking tiny iota of interest in your little sister that you'd want to stay alive to be around me.' The whole room stared at the youngest Summers in shock as her eyes filled with hatred.

'Dawnie…' Buffy started.

'Shut up. I'm done listening to you. I'm eons older anyway. Why the hell should you make the rules?' Xander stepped forward, and Dawn turned on him before he could speak. 'And don't you start. You're a lapdog, always have been. The Zeppo. Lost an eye because of her and now look at the mess we're in. Her fault. She let Spike die. She fucked him and killed him. Didn't she do the same to you Angel?' Her gaze fell on the vampire and then shifted back to Xander. 'Maybe you should be glad you didn't get to stick it to her.'

'Dawn!' Giles shouted and Dawn laughed, turning on him. 'And you're just as bad. Can't even tell her you wished you'd killed Spike when you had the chance. You think you know best, just like she does. You're all fucking hypocrites, you know that?' Her voice was getting louder and her body language more aggressive and Buffy deflated in the realisation that her sister was infected. 'Fuck it, I'm out of here.'

'Dawn, no, you can't.' Buffy went to stop her but her sister was ready and threw a solid punch which landed Buffy against the empty bookcase in the office, holding her bruised face and staring at the doorway her sister went through in shock. The rest of the room was silent as the front door to the hotel slammed shut. The Slayer somehow shook herself out of her stupor and went for the door, before Angel called her back. She whirled around. 'I _have _to go after her.'

'No, you don't. We can't save her until we save Spike. She's lost to us.'

'She's my sister!' Buffy shouted.

'She's infected.' Angel said calmly, moving towards the Slayer he'd once loved with everything in him.

'We can keep her here. Knock her out, lock her up. We've done it before. With me. With Spike.'

Giles shook his head. 'We need to get Spike out of where he is. We need to defeat the First and then Dawn will come home on her own.'

Buffy was crying now, and Angel moved to hug her, but she pushed him away. 'I don't want comfort. I want my family back together again.' She looked at Willow. 'You rest up. We move at nightfall. I'm not waiting any longer.'

And she turned and left.

* * *

The knock at the door made her jump. She hadn't been sleeping – she'd just been laying on her bed, staring at a photo of her mom and her sister, regretting the loss of so many people and her home town. It felt like everything she loved was slipping away. Another knock at the door.

'Buffy?' Angel's muffled voice came through. 'Can I come in?' He asked.

Buffy sighed and put the photo on the nightstand, next to another photo that she hadn't been able to look at properly. 'Yeah, sure.' The door opened and a sheepish Angel peered around the door, before smiling gently and walking in, sitting next to her on the bed.

'I have to go back to Wolfram and Hart before we go for Spike. Wesley called with some important news. Wouldn't tell me over the phone but it sounded important. So I'll be a couple of hours okay?'

Buffy nodded, staring straight ahead at the door. Angel looked around her at the two photographs on the nightstand, smiling softly at the picture of Dawn and Joyce, before frowning and reaching around her for the fuzzy polaroid photo. He picked it up and stared at it, his eyes watering a little. 'How did you get this?'

'With a camera. Duh.' Buffy said, refusing to look at the photo. It was smidge out of focus but still showed the sharpness of the object of the photo. The sharp cut jawline and cheekbones, haunting blue eyes. Angel smirked at her flippant reply.

'When? Spike hated having his photo taken. He wouldn't even let me draw –' He cleared his throat. 'I'd almost forgotten what he looked like.'

'How could you?' Buffy whispered. 'He was a beautiful creature. I could never forget his face if I lived a million years without seeing it.' She sniffed. 'Dawn took that photo. The summer I was gone. She caught him one morning. He wasn't happy. I found the photo in her stuff when I came back.'

'He looks skinnier here.' Angel mused.

'He wasn't looking after himself.'

'I don't doubt. I saw him. At your funeral. I'd never seen him so…broken. Dawn clung to him like a lifeline.' He stopped a rubbed her shoulder, handing her the photo. 'You'll get them both back, Buffy. Don't give up hope.'

'He told me I was a hell of a woman. Said I was the one.' She whispered, between sobs as she gazed at his image.

'You are.' Angel smiled and kissed her on the side of the head, wrapping his arm around her. They stayed like that for a few moments. Then Angel moved. 'I've got to go. I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't go without me, okay?'

'Okay.' Buffy muttered, her eyes still on the photo. Angel left without another word, and she didn't move. Her fingers traced the photo.

'I'll get you back. To hell with the First. I'm not leaving you behind again.'

* * *

**A/N:** That's all you're getting this week, so you'll have to wait a it for the next one. I'm on holiday this coming weekend, but hope to get another chapter up when I'm back. It's my mum's birthday, so going to visit her in Cornwall. Hoping for some inspiration whilst I'm there! Please R&R!


	5. Of Greetings And Goodbyes

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR: **Hi! I had a nice holiday. And I'm back to carry on with this fic. Dawn has done a runner, and Willow has glimpsed the hell Spike is stuck in….what to do now? Angel is in for a bit of a shock.

* * *

**OF GREETINGS AND GOODBYES**

* * *

'Wesley?' Angel rapped softly on the Englishman's door, pushing it slightly as he did so. A murmur from the other side of the room drew him inside and he approached the desk, noting the open books scattered all around the room. Wesley looked up, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. The vampire shifted slightly, his comfort zone around Wesley still not restored, despite the other's lack of knowledge as to why. 'You said you had news?'

'Erm, yes, we had a breakthrough. Of sorts.' He stood and moved around the desk. Angel cast his eyes over Wes' notes and then raised his gaze to meet his old friend's.

'Another book?' The vampire asked, searching Wesley's face for clues. The ex-watcher shook his head.

'No. This message came from…elsewhere.' He looked towards the door and Angel frowned, wondering what in the hell was going on and his eyes followed Wes' towards the entrance of the office.

There, bathed in early afternoon sunlight, stood Cordelia Chase, hair immaculately piled around her shoulders, leaning against the doorframe, dressed in an elegant white trouser suit. She smiled softly at Angel, revealing her perfect white teeth and the vampire could have sworn his heart took a beat.

'Hey champ.'

* * *

Buffy walked through the streets, her eyes wide at the horror surrounding her. Flower Street was mostly empty, except for the burning cars and smashed windows of shops. Two men struggled against each other, fighting viciously. A woman ran past her screaming, blood covering the lilac sundress she wore. It was a bright May afternoon, and people should have been shopping and laughing together, going about their business, not fighting or hiding from those infected by the rage. She knew she should have stayed at the hotel, but she couldn't just leave her little sister wandering around out in the nightmare that had descended on the world. All morning, she had watched news broadcasts from around the world; families were being torn apart, cities destroyed.

Her mind was telling her it was all her fault.

The smallest of amends would be finding Dawn. Then she had to find Spike and set the world right.

A smash from a coffee shop window caught her eye and she found Dawn at last. Her little sister seemed to be fine, no visible wounds. She was with another girl of a similar age and they were gleefully destroying the coffee shop. Buffy stepped through the broken glass door and frowned at the scene, crossing her arms over her chest as she witnessed the destruction wrought by the youngest Summers. It took Dawn a few seconds to notice her sibling and even less time to start spouting vitriol at her.

'What the fuck do you want?' She snarled, her blue eyes blazing with fury. The other girl stopped briefly in her destruction and glared at the newcomer.

'I came to talk.' Buffy answered calmly. In reality, she had every intention of knocking her sister out and tying her up until this was all over. The other girl located a broken chair leg and wielded it. Buffy felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, and she realised Dawn had found herself a Slayer playmate.

'I don't want to talk to you. Of all people, I don't even want to look at you. Piss off.' _Hello Spike._ Buffy's thought was grimly humorous as her little sister used one of the dead vampire's phrases. She tried a new method.

'So you don't want to help us save him?'

'There is no saving him. You made sure of that.' Dawn spat, picking up her own chair leg. Her slayer friend looked ready to pounce and Buffy knew if they both attacked, she would be at risk of hurting Dawn. She didn't want to hurt her, she just wanted her safe.

'We can. The others-'

'The others don't know shit. You've all fumbled through this, and you're only making things worse. Look at Willow. She can't control herself. Wait until she starts flaying people and trying to unravel _your_ existence.' The brunette Summers spat, testing the weight of the weapon in her hand. Buffy fell into a defensive stance as the other girl took a step forward, only to encounter Dawn's hand. 'No. If anyone is going to tear her apart, it's me. I've been taking shit from her all my life.'

'Dawn, listen to me. You're infected. You need to come home with me.'

Dawn scoffed and swung the chair leg in an arc, the fury in her eyes growing in intensity. 'You destroyed my home, Buffy, or had you forgotten that? You've destroyed everything in my life, now you want to play happy families?'

Buffy snapped. 'Stop being a brat and get your ass back to the hotel.'

'Make me, bitch!' Dawn flew at her, but Buffy sidestepped easily, grabbing the chair leg her sister wielded and flinging her into a wall with a crunch. Dawn whimpered and slumped unconscious to the floor, blood trickling down her forehead. Buffy felt a stab of guilt but it was quickly ignored as the other girl flew for her. She took a hard punch to the jaw and stumbled backwards, cursing under her breath. The girl swiped at her again, and Buffy dodged it by a hairsbreadth, bringing her fist up into the other girls ribs, making her shout in pain. Buffy felt something crack underneath her fist and punched again, not caring about the damage she was doing. She knew the limits of Slayer healing and the girl needed putting out of commission for a while.

Buffy felt a hand enclose around the back of her neck and the girl brought her knee to her face. Buffy tasted blood as her face collided with solid knee cap, and she growled, snapping her neck back and forcing the back of her head into her attacker's forehead. The girl fell backwards, letting go of Buffy and landing awkwardly on a table, which fell to pieces under her weight. She shrieked as a splintered piece of wood pierced her leg, causing blood to spurt upwards. She stayed still, her hand grasping her injured leg. The elder slayer got to her feet, wavering slightly and wiping blood from her face.

She stood over her assailant, assessing the wounds she'd given her. The splinter had gone through her thigh, but away from any major arteries, and it wouldn't keep her down long. She wasn't in any danger for the time being, and Buffy was best leaving before the fight restarted. Ignoring the angry words that her attacker was throwing at her, she turned back to her unconscious sister and hoisted her over her shoulder, wincing at the stiffness in her neck. Without glancing back, she left the coffee shop and its injured girl.

* * *

'Cordy.' Angel breathed her name like it was a prayer and took a hesitant step forward. The brunette smiled even wider and came forward too, holding her arms open.

'In the flesh.'

Within seconds, the vampire had her in his arms, spinning her round in the air as she shrieked, then dropping her into a bear hug, inhaling her scent deeply, imprinting it on his memory as so to never forget it.

Cordelia chuckled at his behaviour and hugged him back, before holding him at arm's length and inspecting him. 'Whoa, Angel. I'm not going anywhere. And we have prophecies to discuss.' Angel nodded, the wide smile on his face was not diminishing. The world could end right now and he would die happy. He let Cordelia lead him to his office, Wesley behind them. Fred, Lorne and Gunn all waited for them, apparently already aware of Cordelia's return. Angel would have been annoyed to be the last to know, but he was too overjoyed to care.

'We'll get some time together, I promise. But right now, it's business.' She sat on the sofa, folding her hands in her lap. 'I know what you guys already know, and we have to get to the Hyperion later. Buffy needs to get to Spike as soon as possible. And you are not going with her.' Angel made to protest but Cordelia held her hand up. 'We can't take the risk. This thing feeds on souls, you really wanna give it yours?' She raised an eyebrow in questioning and he silenced his protest, shaking his head slightly in acquiescence. Cordelia gave a short and sharp nod, taking a breath before continuing. 'Spike is the key, like Wesley had already deduced. He's the only one who can stop The First. But there's a catch.'

'That's not unusual.' Gunn chirped up, leaning back against the desk Angel usually occupied.

'What is it?' Fred asked, her arms folded over her chest, crinkling the white lab coat she wore.

'I think it's best saved for when we're at the Hyperion. We should probably get over there; they'll be in trouble before long.'

* * *

'Faith! Calm down!' Giles raised his hands towards the irate brunette, hoping that she was just pissed off and not infected. His fears were well founded when he had to duck a flying dagger, and his eyes met Faith's, which were blazing with a fury he'd never seen before.

'Calm down? I don't want to fucking calm down!' She screeched, hurling a book at him this time. He stepped back, allowing her space because he knew if she felt threatened further, she would not hesitate to gut him like a fish.

The front door to the hotel opened, providing Giles with a welcome distraction. He didn't turn, just in case Faith's rage turned murderous, but moved his gaze to see his Slayer place her sister gently on the lobby bench.

'What happened? I thought we were going to-'

'Leave her out there to die? It's nearly nightfall and no matter how angry she is, a pack of vampires will eat her just as quick.' Buffy retorted, pushing a strand of hair from her sister's face.

'I remember you being pretty good at leaving people to die.' Faith sneered from behind Giles.

Buffy rolled her eyes, standing straight. 'When did she get infected?' She questioned the watcher.

'About half an hour ago. Willow took the other girls upstairs.' Giles ducked another flying book, and Buffy sniggered at the absurdity of the situation. She moved to his side and picked up the fallen book, looking at it thoughtfully.

'This has got some weight to it.' She murmured, looking over at Faith who snarled.

' I'm surprised you can read, B.'

Buffy shrugged at the insult and launched the book, hitting Faith square in the forehead with the corner. The dark slayer stumbled backwards, right into the blonde slayer's arms as she darted behind her sister slayer, wrapping an arm around her neck and squeezing until the angry brunette lost consciousness. She dropped her to the floor and looked at her shocked Watcher.

'Apparently, the rage makes them sloppy.' She moved away from Faith and back to her sister. 'We need to find some chains. These two need to be secured.'

'Basement.' Angel said as he entered the hotel, the rest of his group on his tail. 'There's some stronger ones for Faith. Hopefully we won't have to leave them tied up for long.'

Buffy smiled at her former as he walked in, and her smile brightened as she saw Cordelia behind him. 'Cordy! You're awake and okay!' The cheerleader smiled back, but kept close to Angel. Whilst they could be happy the other was okay, she didn't think they'd ever be the type to hug each other. She regarded the unconscious girls.

'It's spreading fast.' She commented and Buffy looked guilty at her handiwork. 'It was the only way, Buffy. You're lucky to be immune.'

' I'm what now?' The Slayer asked, looking to Giles, who shrugged.

'You can't be affected by the rage.' Cordelia shrugged, moving over to the front desk. Wesley followed, dumping his books and notepads on the side. 'It's a side effect of coming back from another plane. Your soul is protected. Mine is too. We're the only ones immune. So if you can't get your boyfriend back, it might all be down to us.' She waggled her eyebrows teasingly. 'Which is a terrifying thought really.'

Buffy sniggered, and relaxed a bit more. Gunn disappeared and reappeared with the chains, and they set to the task of securing their infected friends. Buffy sighed softly as she attached Dawn to one of the concrete posts, knowing she would be pissed when she came round. A soft cough from the stairs caught her attention from her sister, and she looked up to see Willow smiling down at them all.

'Hey. It's dark. We need to get cracking with the mojo.' She moved down the last few steps, spotting Fred and running to greet her. The two embraced briefly and then turned to face the others.

'Angel isn't going with you.' Cordelia said abruptly, earning an exclamation from Buffy, Giles and Willow. She waited for them to stop and explained herself. 'If he goes, there is a good chance the First will take his soul and the last thing we need is Angelus on our backs. Buffy is safe to go. Willow will be protected by magic. I will go in Angel's place.'

'No.' Angel said, folding his arms across his chest. 'You are not going. I just got you back, I'm not risking you again.'

'There isn't anything to risk. Buffy and I are immune to the rage.'

'You're not immune to death.' Angel snapped back. Buffy raised a hand.

'Apparently I am.' She punned, but it fell on deaf ears as the vampire and cheerleader verbally chastised each other.

'I certainly won't be if your alter ego gets loose.'

'You're running into this. You've done enough, Cordy.' Angel bit back, knowing if they carried on it would lead to a confession he'd rather keep private. Cordelia held a hand up.

'This isn't getting us anywhere. We need to get Spike back, or we're all dead.' She turned to Willow but Wesley interrupted.

'What about the catch?'

'Catch? What catch?' Buffy jumped on his words and worried creased her forehead. All eyes turned to the cheerleader as she chewed her bottom lip. The Slayer frowned. 'What is it?'

Cordelia shuffled a little and then sighed. 'The thing is, Buffy, we can get Spike back but in order to defeat the First, he has to lose his soul.'

'And? He fought with me before without the soul.' Buffy said, confident that Spike would still be with her, even soulless. 'And Willow can restore it after.' _Not that it matters – he loves you with or without, he proved that much._

'That's the other thing.' Cordelia worried her bottom lip. 'If he loses his soul…he can never get it back.'

* * *

**A/N: **Hope you enjoyed, will try to have another up for you next week, it's taken all night to write this one due to a teething baby!


	6. Shadow Of The Day

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR: **Buffy performed her sisterly duty and knocked Dawn clean out. I'd have loved to have done that! Cordelia has dropped a bombshell and there are repercussions to be met. But for now, it's on with the show….. Rated M for violence and swearing as always.

* * *

**SHADOW OF THE DAY**

* * *

The sun made the sea sparkle and it reflected in her eyes, half blinding her. The sand crunched underneath her feet and she smiled at the warm suffusing her skin underneath the light sundress. A giggle caught her attention and she turned in its direction, seeing her little sister sitting in the sand a few feet away. She was filling a bucket up with sand and dumping it out upside down. She looked up smiling and Buffy saw it wasn't Dawn as she had left her, but rather Dawn before they moved to Sunnydale; young, innocent, without the horrors of the past few years staining her blue gaze.

'Hey Buffy. Do you like my sand castle?' She beamed proudly and Buffy couldn't help but catch the infectious grin.

'It'd look much better with a moat and drawbridge, bit.' Another voice joined them and a hand reached over, planting a flag in the middle of the misshapen mound that Dawn had created. The brunette Summers laughed, and Buffy felt her heart swell at the happy scene, casting her eyes over the blonde vampire she missed so much. He smiled back at her and for a few moments everything was perfect.

Then she blinked.

In a second, the night had fallen and she was back in Restfield cemetery. Dawn still sat on the ground, her sand castle bigger and more elaborate than the lumps of sand she'd built before. Spike was standing to her side, his face a sad mask as he stared at her.

'Spike?' She whispered, her eyes stinging as she looked at him. He nodded towards Dawn, and Buffy turned her gaze, horror pooling in her stomach as she saw Angel behind Dawn, one hand around his throat, the other grasping the knife that nicked her throat and sent a trickle of blood down her pale skin.

The Slayer in her hardened, and she took a step forward, before Angelus stopped her.

'I wouldn't, Slayer.' He pressed the knife in harder, and Dawn whimpered. 'I guess it's the choice you make here.'

She scowled at him. 'Let her go.'

'Or what? Neither of you will ever be quick enough.'

Buffy turned to Spike. 'You were right there.' She said, her mind unable to comprehend how he'd left Dawn.

'I never left her.' Spike replied sadly, pointing to the sand castle. 'You just wanted something I couldn't be.' Buffy looked back to the castle, seeing spots of Dawn's blood on the tallest tower, and a pile of dust at Angelus' feet. She looked back to Spike, who smiled sadly.

'I don't like being ignored.' Angelus said, his tone that of a petulant child.

'I'm not ignoring you.' Buffy said.

'You always got all the attention.' Spike sneered.

'That's not true.' Buffy whispered, reaching out to him, but her hand passed through his arm and she felt cold. He looked at her. 'I can't touch you.' She whispered. He shook his head.

'Think you'll find it's the other way round.' Spike whispered back, before fading from sight. Buffy stared, and Angelus cleared his throat. She snapped her head back to him.

'I don't like being ignored.' Angelus said, pulling the knife back violently across pale skin, and sending Dawn's lifeless body careening into the sandcastle, where her blood stained the sand. Buffy screamed and the sand turned to mud as Angelus laughter echoed in her ears.

* * *

Her own scream woke her up.

Not for the first time. And probably not the last.

She shivered in the remainder of her dream and sat up straight, wiping her tired eyes. One of these days she'd get a solid night's sleep. But not today. She'd managed a cat nap, but from the sounds outside in the lobby, she needed to pull herself together if they were going to perform the spell and save Spike and the rest of the world. She couldn't let a paranoid dream wreck their chances at this.

A yell of her name shattered her momentary calm, and she pulled herself from the uncomfortable chair she'd taken her nap in and moved to the door, opening it to Willow trying to calm a very pissed off Dawn down. Faith remained unconscious, shackled to a pipe by the main stair case. Buffy had slipped off into the old drawing room to give Willow time to prepare, and everyone else was in the office, researching. Dawn had apparently woken and disturbed the preparation for the spell. She was shouting obscenities at Willow whilst the witch chanted under her breath, her hands holding Dawn's shoulders. Buffy had made sure her feet and hands we securely tied, not worrying about her mouth being covered. Unfortunately, the vitriol spewing forth was stopping Willow from concentrating enough to subdue the teenager.

Buffy rushed forward and pinned her sister, forcing her hand over her mouth. Dawn struggled and bit at her sister, who grimaced and Willow completed the spell, allowing the older Summers to drop her little sister back to the floor, her hand bloodied and tears in her eyes. Willow placed a hand of comfort on her shoulder and then checked her wound.

'Jeez. I thought her bark was always worse than her bite. But apparently not.' The witch led her friend over to the front desk and grabbed a first aid kit, proceeding to clean the wound as Buffy nodded slowly.

'I miss the days when she'd just slam her door and shout "Get out" repeatedly.' She sighed heavily. 'I hope this spell works and we can fix this.'

'It's becoming very Mad Max out there. The infected are forming groups, half the city is on fire.' Xander announced, coming in from the front door.

'The infected.' Buffy rolled her eyes. 'Nice title.'

'It's probably going to get worse before it gets better.' Willow said, looking to her best male friend. 'Did you go out there alone?'

Xander shook his head. 'I just took a peek. I was upstairs looking for a good view from the top floor. Couldn't get out on the roof. Won't be long before someone comes in here though, especially with all these lights on.' He looked back at the front door warily.

'All the more reason to get this over with.' Buffy said, looking to the witch. Willow nodded.

'I am ready when you are.' She said, and the office door opened as if on cue, and Giles came out, followed closely by Cordelia, Angel and Wesley. A few moments passed before Fred and Gunn joined them.

'Where are all the girls?' Buffy asked.

'They are upstairs. Safe. And magically sedated. We thought it best to avoid any more incidents.' Giles remarked. He motioned to Buffy's hand. 'What happened?'

'Dawn decided to bite me.' Buffy shrugged, and Giles' eyes widened a little. 'She's out again now and I'm kinda eager to get this underway.' He didn't reply but his face was a picture of surprise. Willow shrugged in his direction as Buffy turned away. 'Where do you need us?' She asked the witch.

'I only really need you. You're the connection to him, so it'll just be me and you. The first few moments are the trickiest, I need to get us both into a meditative state and then connect to him through you, and then shift us to him. If you understand me.'

'Yeah, I get it.'

'And we all stand well back.' Cordelia said, her gaze drawn to Angel. 'No one needs to get sucked in.'

'Affirmed.' Wesley chimed in. 'I suggest we all stand well back. There's no need for any of us to actually be here.' No one moved. 'As it is, I think we're staying.'

Buffy didn't say anything, and sat cross legged on the floor where Willow directed her. The red head sat opposite and took Buffy's hands. The slayer looked down and around, frowning slightly.

'Don't you need any ingredients?' She asked, and Willow shook her head.

'No. You're the only ingredient there is.' She smiled brightly and Buffy smiled back, somewhat nervously. 'Now, take a deep breath and relax. You've done the meditation before, so we'll start there and I'll guide you through.' Buffy nodded in reply and silence fell across the lobby as the two girls sat on the floor opposite each other, hands clasped, breathing in time.

A few moments passed, and Xander grew fidgety. He wanted to speak, as it was always difficult for him to remain silent for long periods of time. He moved from one foot to the other, his eye on the girls, occasionally moving his gaze to the others in the room. Angel looked tense and Cordelia worried; Gunn and Fred looked observant and Wesley was studying a small book in his hands. Giles studied the two girls with a intense gaze, chewing the inside of his mouth.

After about fifteen minutes, whilst Xander's pant ants were going batcrap crazy, Giles breathed a sigh of relief. 'They are both under and unable to hear us.'

'So how long until they disappear?' Gunn asked.

Wesley put his book down. 'Willow has to make a solid connection before she can pull them both through.'

'In other words?' Xander waved his hand around in a circle.

'Could be minutes, could be hours.' Wesley said, looking over at Giles who nodded in confirmation.

'And we're going to stand around here?' Cordelia asked. Giles shook his head.

'No, we're going to research.' Giles replied. 'We still don't know what Spike has to do to defeat the First. And provided they rescue him, we will need that knowledge. Two of us will stay out here and watch, both the girls and Dawn and Faith. One will go upstairs with the other Slayers. And the remainder of us will research.'

'I'll go watch the girls.' Gunn volunteered.

'I'm staying here.' Xander and Angel spoke simultaneously, glaring at each other as they did so. Cordelia shook her head and went back into the office, followed closely by Fred.

'Very well. Wesley?' Giles gestured his hand to the office and the younger Englishman nodded, before they both disappeared from the lobby. Angel moved over to the desk and leant against it, whilst Xander moved to the seats next to where Dawn was slumped on the floor and checked the young girl over. He then sat back and cast his one eye over the vampire in the room. Gunn look dubiously between the two and then disappeared upstairs.

'What is your problem?' Angel asked, looking at the young male with a sneer on his face.

'You. Evil in general.'

'You're all up for rescuing Spike.'

'Doesn't mean I like him.' Xander retorted, folding his arms.

'So why do you care if he lives?'

'He's important to Buffy. And to be fair, the guy went into that fight knowing he was going to die. So I've a little respect for that.'

'Considering his history with the women you love…' Angel tilted his head and kissed his teeth, a motion that made the hairs on the back of Xander's neck stand up. The one eyed man stood, raising a finger in Angel's direction.

'Don't you bring her up. Don't bring that up. Life is too damn short to sit in the past. Anya died doing the right thing, the stupid thing, but the right thing. And Spike did it for the right thing to. All you ever did was fuck everyone else's life up. You killed Ms Calendar, you terrified everyone who knew you, tried to kill all of us, broke Buffy's heart, and from what I hear, everyone in LA has been getting nothing but grief with you around too! So don't start lecturing me on demons. Cos even with a soul, you're just as bad as the rest.' Xander was fuming by this point and his eyes blazed with fury. 'I've always hated you. I wished and wished that Buffy would just stake you. I wished the same for Spike. I still do! But nooooo, you're special.'

'Xander…' The man's rant had drawn the others from the office. Angel raised his hands, seeing the rage take over the young man. He hadn't meant to provoke him, he had just grown tired of the constant hostility from the one eyed carpenter.

'No! I always get told to shut up. I'm not stupid, as much as you would love to believe it. I'm not going to be anyone's lackey anymore!' He took a step forward.

A loud bang from the front door caught everyone's attention, and they all looked to see an angry looking man with a barbed-wire covered baseball bat standing in the doorway. He grinned maniacally, blood spattered across his cheek and stains on the red checked shirt he wore.

'I wondered what y'all were hiding in here.' He snarled. Xander threw his arms in the air.

'I knew! I knew they'd come investigating. But no one listened!' He looked down at Dawn, and began to undo her bindings. 'I'm not standing around to let another Summers die. I'm not some idiot vampire.'

The man in the doorway yelled something behind him and they heard more shouts coming towards the hotel. Giles moved forwards, knowing they could not complete the spell now, but Angel beat him to it, placing his hands on Willow's shoulder. He shook her but nothing happened and he looked to Giles, panicking slightly. Four more infected had appeared in the doorway and Gunn had gone to meet them head on as the girls and Wesley armed themselves.

'Let's see what you've got.' The red shirted man shouted at Gunn as he swung the bat round. Angel shook Willow again without result and turned to Cordelia, his hand still resting on Willow's shoulder. Cordelia let out a yell of warning before the room filled with a blinding light and all the occupants were thrown backwards. As she sat up from the floor where she had landed, she saw that Willow and Buffy were gone.

And Angel had gone with them.

* * *

**Please review!**


	7. Walk With Me In Hell

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR: **The spell has been done, but at the last minute, things have gone horribly wrong. Rated M for violence and swearing as always.

* * *

**WALK WITH ME IN HELL**

* * *

The first thing Buffy felt was a thousand knives cutting into her skin. She was laying on a hard floor of sand that felt like it was moving, and it took a few minutes to regain her composure before she could pull herself to her feet. And when she did so, and opened her eyes, she regretted it more than ever. As soon as she had done so, a foul noise, like the screaming of a thousand banshees, invaded her ears and she clasped her hands over them quickly, trying to see where she was. A thick red dust obscured her vision for the most part, swirling around her like a terrible tornado. The dust was what had caused the sensation on her skin, and she knew that she needed to find shelter.

Looking around her as best she could, she saw no sign of Willow and the only thing she could see was a few dead, gnarly looking trees, that may not have been trees at all. They looked odd, deformed and she wasn't sure she wanted to take a closer look.

She opened her mouth to scream for her friend, but only choked on the red dust, doubling over in pain as she tasted blood and a foul acidic taste invaded her mouth. Coughing and spluttering, she decided that calling wouldn't work and that moving forward was really her only option at this point. But the steps were not easy, as if the very landscape was against her and the gravity of this world was heavier than her own. It was slow going, but after ten minutes of wandering, it felt like her vision was adjusting to the dust and she finally spotted a cave entrance.

Struggling towards it, she passed closer to one of the mangled trees and she saw it wasn't a tree at all. It was a twisted contortion of bones, and at the base of it, blood was pooling, as if it were a grotesque piece of artwork. Buffy shuddered, feeling more terrified by that one "tree" than she had been by anything in a while. But of course, the First was good at putting on a show. She should have remembered that. It was highly unlikely any of this was truly real.

After twenty minutes of pushing herself forward, feeling her body weakening, she threw herself through the entrance to the small cave, and lay there in the dirt, grateful for the dimming of the roaring sound in her ears and the horrible sensation gone from her skin. She wasn't sure how long she laid there, but the time passed as it did when you really didn't want to get out of bed. She knew she had to move, had a job to do, but she couldn't bring her limbs to cooperate until they felt like it.

It was only the thudding of another body landing next to her that caused her to move. And it wasn't the face she expected.

'Angel?' She pushed herself up onto her forearms, staring at him with a mixture of relief and anger. 'What the hell? Cordelia said it was too dangerous for you to come here!'

'Something happened.' He grunted, his eyes bloodshot from the dust outside. It didn't seem to have cut him up at all though, so she assumed the dust was just an uncomfortable sensation and she didn't look like she'd been rolling in broken glass. He didn't roll over or make eye contact; he merely lay on his side, breathing in an erratic manner, even though he didn't need to.

Buffy narrowed her eyes, ignoring the urge to shut them. 'What do you mean?'

'Some infected people got into the hotel. I think Xander was infected too, he was shouting at me before they came in-'

'He may not have been. He just really doesn't like you.' Buffy said, bluntly, no thought for the vampire's feelings. 'Wait – infected got in? And you skipped out? What the hell were you thinking? My sister is there! My friends! They could be killed!' She scrambled to her feet, towering over him with anger blazing in her eyes. For a moment, the fury consumed her and she thought for a moment that maybe she was infected, until she remembered Giles' words. She was apparently just _really_ pissed at Angel. The vampire in question struggled to his feet, holding his hands out in a gesture of peace.

'I didn't mean to! I was trying to wake Willow, we had to stop the spell. The others went to fight the infected and then Willow apparently found the way here, because….well, here I am. I swear, Buffy, I didn't mean for this to happen.' He was wide eyed and worried now, knowing she wouldn't hesitate to kick his ass.

Buffy was angry, no doubt about that – but there wasn't much she could do about it now. She deflated – visibly – and Angel sighed a breath of relief. The Slayer shook herself, still feeling sluggish now she had let go of the anger inside her. 'We need to find Willow. She doesn't have the same constitution we do, that storm will hurt her for real.'

'Did you try to talk in that crap? I felt like I was drinking holy water.' Angel mumbled, looking back towards the entrance of the cave. He jumped backwards as Willow appeared, _smiling_ of all things, a protective shield holding back the dust from around her. She entered the cave and dropped the shield, brushing herself down, somewhat dramatically as the vampire and slayer stared at her incredulously.

'Phew. Didn't think I'd find you guys.'

'Doesn't have the same constitution huh?' Angel harrumphed, looking at Buffy. 'Hers is _better._'

The Slayer merely stuck her tongue out at him and turned to her best friend, hugging her tightly. 'I'm glad you're okay. Wait, you knew Angel was here?'

'I felt him touch me. I would have let him rouse me but I was so close to getting us here that I couldn't let go. I was rather hoping you would though.' Willow sighed at the vampire. 'This makes things more difficult. It'll take more power to get you and Spike back with us and you're in serious danger here. The First can't really hurt me or Buffy, but you…you're just a tasty morsel for it.'

'He can stay here whilst we find Spike.' Buffy said, looking at her former.

'No, he can't. Leaving him unattended and unprotected is not a good idea.' Willow replied and Angel scowled.

'I don't need protecting. I'm a vampire.' He complained. The witch rolled her eyes.

'You're a vampire with a soul. And I'd quite like to keep you that way. I don't fancy having to take Angelus down right now. And you may be able to protect yourself back in our dimension but here, you're just evil chowder. So zip it and do as I say, okay?' Angel made to protest but Willow flashed him her resolve face and he thought better of it. Buffy stifled a giggle at the determination on her friend's face.

'So.' Buffy asked, ignoring the humour of the situation. 'How do we find Spike?'

At that point, a scream shattered the noise of the storm outside, echoing through the cave. It was the scream of someone in extreme pain. Buffy looked towards the darkness it came from. Her brow furrowed. 'Spike.' She whispered, reaching out to grip Willow's hand.

'We follow the screams.' Angel whispered.

* * *

Giles could honestly say his lungs were on fire. The load in his arms hurt more than he could describe, but he daren't drop her. He had to carry on, and he had to get the others moving.

'Fred, Wesley, are you okay?' He turned, seeing the dishevelled younger Englishman behind him, blood steadily dripping down his forehead from a nasty gash. Fred was curled under his arm, cradling an obviously broken wrist. They both nodded and he looked past them to the rest of their bedraggled group. After Willow, Buffy and Angel had disappeared, the infected had swarmed the building. They had mostly beaten them back, but Xander had turned and attacked Gunn, who had come down to investigate. The black man had told them to get out and Cordelia had led him, Fred and Wesley to the emergency exit. Giles had grabbed Dawn on the way through, knowing that Buffy would never forgive him for leaving the young woman behind.

Cordelia had shut the door behind them after they left, promising to find them. He'd not noticed until that moment just how honourable the once vapid cheerleader had become and he felt respect for her, thinking of others before herself. He had briefly worried about the slayers up in the suite upstairs, but knew Willow had placed them under a protection spell and could only hope it would hold.

He should have known that the hotel would come under attack. It was inevitable but he couldn't see beyond his own pride. Another mistake for Rupert Giles. He could only pray his Slayer would make it back okay, along with the vampires he loathed and the witch he cared for. If Spike was the only hope for humanity, then he could let things lie. For now.

The Watcher turned his attention back to Dawn in his arms. The spell Willow had cast upon her would last for a good few hours yet, but he wished to get them somewhere secure until then. He turned to his two companions.

'Where are we going to go? Cordelia said she would meet us but she did not indicate where.'

'We could go to my apartment.' Fred whispered, looking around nervously. She was in obvious pain and Giles felt for her, but there was nothing he could do to help her until they were somewhere safe.

'Do you have medical supplies? And does Cordelia know where you live?' Giles asked, looking to Wesley for an answer as the small Texan was leaning towards to tears at the pain she was in.

'She does and I believe there is a first aid kit. I can strap her wrist with a ripped sheet if need be.' _Always the head boy._ Giles thought and nodded in agreement with the other gentleman.

'Then we shall go there and hope for the best. Lead the way, Wesley.'

* * *

The screams hadn't gotten any closer and it felt like they had been wandering for hours. Buffy's feet hurt and it felt like blood was pooling in the bottom of her sneakers, but in reality she knew it was just her toes going numb. Not for the first time, she wished she could have brought a bag or something with her, but Willow had said that it was too much of a drain on the spell to carry supplies. She only had her fists for this one.

'Do you girls need to stop for a rest?' Angel asked quietly, and from the tone of his voice, Buffy could tell, without looking at him, that he was in game face. All vampires appeared to have a slight lisp when they were, probably because of all the teeth in their mouths. Angel seemed to whistle slightly when he talked in game face. She attempted not to giggle at this observation and cleared her throat.

'No, we need to carry on.' She said, looking over at Willow, who was walking beside her, a small ball of light guiding their way. The witch nodded.

'Agreed. The sooner we find Spike, the sooner we can leave. I may be powerful and stuff now, but these dark caves are giving me the major wiggins.' Buffy nodded in agreement, missing the hilarious way Angel rolled his golden eyes.

'I'll let you know as soon as I pick up his scent. These passageways smell more like a hospital than anything else.'

'They smell of disinfectant?' Buffy asked.

'No. Death.'

The slayer shivered and turned her focus back to the path in front of them. A dim light began to fill the hallway ahead and she felt a little jolt of hope inside her, picking up her pace. The other two followed suit, and they came back to the cave opening they had left. Buffy let out a cry of dismay before Willow grabbed her arm, dissipating the ball of light as there was no need for it.

'Buffy, look.'

All three stared at the cave entrance, where no long ago, a storm had been raging, filling the world with red dust and making it look something akin to the horror film Xander had insisted they watch months ago, called Ghosts Of Mars. Buffy had always hated space alien films, and the resemblance hadn't helped this particular mission. But now, the outside of the cave was blazing with brilliant sunshine, and the road which had appeared beyond looked suspiciously like Crawford Street, where the mansion had been in Sunnydale. Buffy took a step forward, her eyes filled with wonder at the vision of her lost home.

'It's not real.' Willow said, her hand still gripping Buffy's arm. 'This is the First's dimension. It can make us see whatever it wants us to see. We can't trust anything here.'

'I'm not trusting that I can go out in that.' Angel said, his eyes, back to their brown human colour, darting up to the sun filled "sky" outside. 'The First has a good reason to make me explode.'

'No. It can't kill you with artificial sunlight. It can make it look like sunlight, but there's no actual UV to kill you.' Willow clarified, her eyes still on the vision of Sunnydale before them.

'Still not sure I want to take the chance.'

Buffy took another step forward, shaking off Willow's arm as she headed slowly for the cave entrance. She was mesmerised by the sight in front of her, even though her brain told her it wasn't real. She'd been more devastated than she'd let on at the loss of her hometown, and seeing it before her now created a feeling in her heart that she never thought she'd had again. _Home._

'Buffy!' Willow called as the Slayer moved beyond the cave entrance. She appeared not to hear them as she continued walking forward.

'Hello sweetheart.' A voice to the side of her made Buffy turn and she almost fainted, feeling her knees turn to jelly as she saw her mom in front of her.

'Mom?' She choked out, moving forward and stopping as she remembered where she was. 'No. You're not her. Don't be her.'

'Sweetheart, what are you on about?' "Joyce" said, stepping forward. 'I've missed you so much!' She held out her arms and Buffy had to fight every last fibre in her being not to run into them.

'No.' She said, her voice taking on a hard edge. 'You are _not_ my mother.' She turned her head back towards the cave, only to find it wasn't there and it was like she really was in Sunnydale. But she knew it wasn't possible.

'Buffy!' Willow yelled again, walking forward towards the cave entrance, seeing Joyce appear and Buffy staring at her mother like she was going to cry. A force held her back, and Willow let her eyes bleed black as she fought against the invisible barrier. Angel took a wary step back, his gaze split between the angered Witch and the scene unfolding in "Sunnydale".

'Please, sweetheart, I only want a hug. We've been separated for too long.' "Joyce" took a step forwards. Buffy held up her hands, falling into a defensive stance, ignoring the part of her that wanted to just be held by her mother. Except this wasn't the real Joyce Summers.

'NO!' She spat through gritted teeth. 'You are _not her._ You could never pretend to be her. Change into someone else! Right now!'

"Joyce" dropped her arms and stilled, her gaze fixed on the small blonde woman in front of her. A cruel, evil smile split her face. 'I should have known you wouldn't play ball.' She sighed. 'This would have been so much easier without you in the picture. If you'd just stayed with your vampire lover in the hellmouth and let it crush you, but you've still got that pesky will to live.' The smile grew wider. 'Lucky for me, your vampire has the same desire and it's making me so much stronger.'

Buffy almost growled. 'Take off her face. Stop being her.'

"Joyce" laughed. 'Why would I when it causing you such delicious pain. The world is in pain, Buffy, and I'm thriving. You really think you can win this battle. Even with your witch behind you?'

Willow suddenly fell through the barrier as the cave reappeared in Buffy's peripheral vision. The First sneered at the redhead as she got to her feet. 'This is _my_ world. I control it, just like I will soon control yours. You don't know the pleasure it brings me to watch the insects in your dimension, falling to pieces and killing each other. I'll infect every single one of them. And I'll make sure I send you back, so you can spend the rest of your miserable existence killing those you were supposed to protect.'

'You won't win.' Willow threatened, gathering her magick again. "Joyce" turned her sharp gaze on her.

'Why? Because you're going to rescue William?' "Joyce" laughed. 'I don't feel all that threatened. By coming here, you've just given me another tool.' She raised her hand, and suddenly Angel was standing next to her. 'Your cheerleader warned you.' She said, turning her attention to Angel and running a hand down his chest. He was immobilised against her, his eyes full of panic.

'Angel.' Buffy whispered. Her worst nightmare was happening before her eyes.

'Yes, _Angel.'_ "Joyce" mocked. 'Not for much longer I'm afraid.' She splayed her hand over his heart and the sunlight around them started to dim, as if the sun were setting. Angel gritted his teeth, trying to hold back a scream and failing as he unleashed it and a bright light consumed his eyes. Buffy and Willow watched, the witch moving closer to her friend as "Joyce" threw her head back in pleasure and Angel slumped to the ground unconscious. 'Mmmmm.' She said, looking from the downed vampire to Buffy. Tasty.' And then she disappeared.

Buffy and Willow stood in the darkness of the fake Sunnydale, streetlights flickering to life around them as Angel shifted, groaned and then got to his feet. He shook his head, and the two girls waited with baited breath, fear surrounding them. Angel looked up, his facial expression no different to the soulful vampire they knew, until his eyes connected with Buffy and a malicious smirk came over his face.

'Hello, lover.'

* * *

**A/N: Ooooo I may be evil for this cliff hanger, or you may get another chapter before the end of the weekend. I might be nice. I liked this chapter. It flowed for me. Let me know what you think!**


	8. Let The Madness Begin

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR: **The spell has been done, but at the last minute, things went horribly wrong and now they're only getting worse. Rated M for violence and swearing as always.

* * *

**LET THE MADNESS BEGIN**

* * *

Buffy hadn't felt this particular fear for five years.

She couldn't say she missed it.

And running away from Angelus had not been on her list of things to do today. She didn't think it had been on Willow's either.

Right now, they were heading for the only place she could think of, and she couldn't be sure it was here. But knowing the First and its twisted methods of torture, it would be and it would be every inch as safe as she wanted it. Because that was the best way to unnerve someone – give them what they want and then rip it away. She'd missed her home, and as Revello Drive came into sight, she realised just how much she had missed it, but this wasn't the way she wanted to see it again.

The door of 1630 was unlocked, as always, and Buffy crashed through it, Willow hot on her heels. The house was empty, as had the town been, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she realised that at least this time, she wouldn't have to stop Angelus snacking on all the tasty townies he could find. She wasn't entirely sure the "invite only" policy worked on fake houses in this dimensions, but she knew Angelus wouldn't smash straight in and rip their throats out.

That wasn't his modus operandi. The First probably wasn't banking on his ability to drag everything out.

Funny how that remained, soul or not.

Willow shut the door and turned to her, her red hair standing out against her pale face. She was breathing heavily and it didn't take long for her legs to give out and she collapsed against the stairs. Buffy leant against the wall, slowly sliding down to rest on the floor.

'We didn't lose him. He probably didn't even chase us.' Buffy said, glancing at the door.

'Think he's still all for the torture, cos I'm fairly sure I remember how to flay people.' Willow joked, wiping sweat from her brow. 'I was not looking forward to this.'

'Can you put his soul back?' Buffy asked, fearful of the answer.

The witch was silent for a moment. 'I don't think I can, not here. I may be good at this witchcraft thing, but I need the ingredients to do it. I think we should focus on avoiding him and getting Spike back. Angel will have to wait. He knew the risks coming here, I think he would be happier if we got out alive and saved the world first.' She didn't mention that she wasn't sure there was a soul for Angel to get back, now that it appeared the First had devoured it. The look on Buffy's face told her that the slayer was also aware of this fact, but it wouldn't be spoken of whilst they were here.

'So.' Buffy sucked air in through her teeth, feeling her heart rate return to slightly normal. 'Working on the assumption that the First has given us the whole fake Sunnydale package, where do we go from here? We need to find Spike and get him home. So where in Sunnydale would it keep him?' She was still angry at the form the First had chosen to taunt her, and she was kinda hoping that it was fully corporeal so she could kick its butt.

'I don't know. I guess we can only go on what we knew before…where did you find it last time it got Spike?'

'The Christmas tree lot. That'd be too easy.' Buffy looked towards the door again. 'And there's no point waiting until daylight, seeing as I don't think it'll make a difference to Angel. So we may as well go out the back way and start searching.' She looked to Willow for confirmation and then found herself blushing as her stomach rumbled. 'No chance of you conjuring some food?' Willow shook her head. Buffy sighed. 'Okay. Let's get Spike and get out of here so I can get a McDonalds or something. Angel can take care of himself until we've saved the world.'

* * *

Dawn was safely ensconced in Fred's bedroom, secured to the bed in case she woke up. Fred was asleep in a chair by the radiator and Wesley sat close, thumbing through a book. They didn't have much in the way of research materials, due to the violent nature in which they escaped from the hotel, but Giles had brought his notebook and what they had so far, and Wesley was pondering a trip back to the hotel to rescue his source books. Giles had immediately vetoed that idea, and Wesley hadn't argued.

So they sat in silence and candlelight, going back over the notes they had already written and discussed what felt like a thousand times, running into the same brick wall again and again. But there wasn't a lot else for them to do. The power was out, but Fred had cupboards full of peanut butter, jelly and bread, as it seemed lately she'd not had much time for cooking. Giles could probably have murdered a cup of tea.

The knock at the door made them all jump. Fred awoke with a small shriek and they all stared at the door fearfully, wondering what lay on the other side. Fred sighed and rolled her eyes. 'I doubt the infected would knock before coming in to slaughter us all.' She got up and unlocked the door, opening it to reveal a dishevelled looking Cordelia. Fred flung the door wide and enveloped the former cheerleader in a crushing hug before pulling her into the apartment. The two men stood, looks of relief on their faces.

'Cordelia, you made it.' Wesley breathed, giving her a hug. She nodded. 'Where is Gunn? What happened?'

Giles shooed the other man away and motioned for Cordelia to sit down. She smiled gratefully and sat, dropping the heavy bag she was carrying. 'In your own time, my dear.'

'It's okay. I'd kill for something to eat though?' She said, her voice a little raspy. Wesley immediately bustled into the kitchenette and returned with a sandwich several moments later, handing it over. Cordelia took several big mouthfuls, looking relieved before she set the sandwich aside and cleared her throat. 'Much better, thank you. I guess I should explain.' She motioned to the bag on the floor. 'I grabbed what books I could.'

'You little lifesaver.' Wesley said, pouncing on the bag in glee. He dug through it, ignoring Giles' muttered sarcasm and pulled out several books. 'These will do very nicely.' He smiled up at Cordy.

'I'm sorry I just pushed you out the door. I couldn't…I went back in. Xander had freed Faith and taken her. I don't know where. Gunn was fighting off the infected, and we ran up to where we hid the slayers. I could hear them ransacking the hotel. One of them came upstairs, Gunn…Gunn killed him. He went berserk after that. I couldn't get to the slayers, the magic barrier is still up and I couldn't get past and I think he was infected. So I hit him with a vase. Knocked him out. I left him there, grabbed what I could and ran from the rest of those nutcases. I didn't know what else to do.' She sucked in air, her hasty explanation causing different reactions.

'But Charles was still alive when you left?' Fred asked, and Wesley tried hard to ignore the well of jealousy inside himself, wondering if she would be that concerned for him. _Of course she would, you berk._

'Yes. I checked his pulse. The infected had taken what they wanted from downstairs. I think a couple of them were searching the rest of the hotel, but they won't find those girls right? Not with Willow's spell in place?' Cordelia looked to Giles for confirmation. He nodded.

'They should be safe until we can get this all sorted. Dawn is in the other room, she is still under the effects of Willow's spell.'

Cordelia nodded, her gaze floating to her sandwich, and she swallowed hard. 'Good. Because we have another problem. I had a vision on the way over here.'

'What about?' Wesley asked, hoping she had a solution to at least one of their problems.

She looked sad for a moment and refused to meet his gaze. Then she looked up, fear and determination warring in her eyes.

'Angelus is back.'

* * *

Buffy peeked around the corner, seeing nothing down the street. Main Street was dead, deader than she'd ever seen. Even before the Hellmouth collapsed, the town had still seemed _alive; _this artificial Sunnydale was void of anything resembling life. There was no air, no wind, no weather to speak off. She couldn't see any stars and it wasn't just because of the street lights.

She gone and stepped into a real life horror movie.

_Did you ever step out of one?_ Her brain argued and she answered it with a rue smile before turning away from Main Street and looking to Willow, who was flat against the wall, James Bond style.

'It's clear. We can sprint over to the tree lot and have a look.'

'Okay.' Willow whispered back, looking up at the sky. 'No stars. Creepy. I can't feel anything in this world. I'm kinda wondering what it looks like without the First controlling it.'

'You got a spell handy if Angelus makes a surprise jump?' Buffy asked and Willow nodded. 'That's good to know. You ready?' Willow nodded again. Both girls turned towards the street, and pushed away from the wall, running at a sprint, their hearts beating fast, half because of the run and half because of the adrenaline caused by the fear of Angelus attacking.

It seemed like they were running forever before they hit the tree lot, which was deserted. It seems the First had decided that the winter theme it had run through twice was overrated. Buffy skidded to a halt once she was past the gates, Willow following close behind. She stopped so suddenly that Willow ran straight into her and they went rolling, and Willow shrieked as she slid past Buffy and into the hole in the middle of the yard. Buffy stopped just before the edge, her hands desperately grasping for Willow and just catching her wrist.

Time seemed to stand still as Buffy held onto her best friend for dear life, her bottom half the other thing keeping them out of the hole below. Willow swung a little, trying her hardest to keep still as her other hand grasped air to try and catch Buffy's other hand. After a few moments of fighting gravity, Buffy had a firm grip on the witch and began to shuffle backwards, trying to pull her out.

'Seems like you don't have the grace you had when you were younger, Buff.' Angelus' voice invaded the silence and Buffy cursed inwardly. _He always has the very bestest timing._ She looked up, ceasing her shuffling backwards and rolled her eyes at the vampire stood a few yards away, his arms hanging by his sides. 'Age isn't working for the slayer, huh?'

'I'm _really _not in the mood for you.' She ground out. Willow tried to pull herself up, but failed.

'Buffy! Is that Angel?'

'Yeah, Will. I don't think he's got any rope. And if he did, I'd tell him to go and hang himself.'

'Awww, Buff, you know I don't breathe.' The vampire chuckled. 'Do you need a hand?' He took a step forward, his face concerned yet mocking.

'Not from you. Stay the hell away from me.' Buffy said, running through her options in her mind. She shuffled forward a little bit, eliciting a shriek from the dangling Willow. _'Buffy, what are you doing?' _Her friend's voice echoed in her head and she sighed a little.

'_I'm going to have to drop you Will. I don't know how far down it is but we're in too vulnerable a position like this. I'm going to drop you and follow you in.'_ Willow didn't respond, but Buffy knew she'd heard her as the witch's grip lessened a little. Angelus was drawing closer to her, and she knew he'd pounce any second. Of course, he had to get bored of the sound of his own voice first.

'He's not down there you know. You'll probably not find Willy-boy. She won't tell me where he is either, even though she knows I'd love to have a little round with him. He always did have the sweetest screams.' Anger flared inside her and she gritted her teeth, waiting for him to get closer. She hadn't done a move like this in a while but she had to have faith in her own body to fight him off. He was within a metre now, and she just wanted him a bit closer. 'From what I hear, you never really made him scream. Pity that, cause you were missing out on something special.'

Buffy let go of Willow's wrists and the witch squealed but hit the ground with a thump quickly, which meant the distance wasn't that far. Buffy flipped herself over and up from the ground, landing a brutal kick to Angelus' face as she did so. He stumbled backwards with a snarl, and she followed up the kick with a punch that sent him flying to the other side of the lot and without stopping to see if he got up, she jumped into the hole, landing gracefully on her feet. Willow was already up and waiting for her, and she grabbed her friend's hand, sprinting off through the tunnels.

Angelus was pissed and wouldn't be far behind.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Am already working on the next one, but reviews will make me post faster!**


	9. Made Of Glass

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR: **The spell has been done, but at the last minute, things went horribly wrong and now they're only getting worse. Rated M for violence and swearing as always.

* * *

**MADE OF GLASS**

* * *

'Angelus is back?' Wesley repeated her words, sinking to the ground, his books forgotten. Cordelia nodded.

'I warned everyone. He was too at risk to go and he didn't listen. If he hadn't touched Willow….oh my god. Why can't men just listen?' She threw her hands up. The depth of her emotions was reflected in her eyes and Fred moved to comfort her. 'He's lost his soul. At the moment he's trapped in the same dimension as Willow, Buffy and Spike. But the First is going to use him to keep us busy. I saw…I saw Buffy fighting him. He's going to target us.'

'Well, that goes without saying.' Giles said, cleaning his glasses on his already dirtied handkerchief, which defeated the object slightly but made him feel better regardless. Cordelia looked up at him.

'This is bad Giles. The First has devoured Angel's soul. There is no coming back for him now. It's death or nothing. Unless we defeat the First and obliterate it completely…we're all going to die, you hear me? Buffy couldn't kill him the first time around, she won't be able to do it now.' The ex-cheerleader sunk into the chair. 'I'm so tired.' She rubbed her hand over her forehead and sighed heavily.

'I meant no disrespect, Cordelia. But at the moment we have no way of knowing how Spike is meant to destroy the First. I don't suppose your vision pertained to any way he is supposed to do that?'

'No. All I know is that he will lose his soul. And that's key. He can't fight the First with it.' She didn't uncover her eyes, she simply sat, feeling resigned to fate. The room fell into silence, and the two Englishman looked at each other, the same thought running through their heads.

Wesley picked up a book and sighed. 'We need to figure this out.'

* * *

Willow had conjured her little ball of light again. They were following it through yet more tunnels. It was darker down here than Buffy remembered and she was starting to feel a little closed in, wondering if they were going to find a way out of this maze. They had been stuck in this dimension for hours and she was starting to worry about how things were fairing in their world. Neither of them had spoken for a while and she couldn't stand the silence much more.

'Do you think he's down here?' She asked quietly, not making eye contact with the redhead.

'I honestly don't know, Buffy.' Willow exhaled loudly, stopping for a second. 'I keep trying to sense him but this world has some sort of fuzzy dampening field. I can sense me and I can sense you – I can't sense anything else.'

'Well, this is a barrel of fun.' Buffy muttered, coming to a halt beside her friend and eying up the hovering ball of light in front of them.

'Not the ideal situation, I'll give you that.'

'You two are so whingy.' A voice from in front of them chided and they both looked up sharply. 'I've never known two "heroes" to moan so much.' Buffy glared at the newcomer, not placing him right away. Willow, on the other hand, recognised him straight away and her face drained of all blood.

'Jesse?' She asked, her voice timid as a mouse. Buffy reached out and took her hand for support.

'Not really, but you knew that.' "Jesse" replied, smirking, his arms folded across his chest. 'How are you, dear Willow? Long way from the timid little nerd that used to follow Xander around with puppy eyes.' She frowned at him. 'Xander, now he's in a pickle at the moment. Got himself all worked up into a-' he paused for effect and tilted his head whilst contemplating Buffy. '-Rage.' He finished and Willow shuddered.

'Xander is infected. With whatever you released on the world.' Buffy spat out, feeling the urge to pummel the First into the ground.

'The only thing I released was the evil inside every man, woman and child. It's taking a bit longer than I'd like, and some people remain resistant to it, but I will win.' "Jesse" smiled brightly and Buffy realised why it was taking so long for the rage to infect everyone.

'Spike.' "Jesse" whipped his gaze to the Slayer, his face no longer smiling. Buffy knew she'd hit the nail on the head. 'He's resisting you. Giving you trouble.' She laughed. 'That's my vampire.'

'He's not your anything.' "Jesse" turned into "Drusilla", poking her fingers in Buffy's direction. 'He's always been my prince and I've eaten him up once before, it won't take much for me to do it again.'

Buffy smiled. 'We'll find him before you do that. I don't give up, you should know that by now.'

'No you don't, my sweet. Not even when you're doing exactly what you shouldn't be. He's mine. You should have learnt that by now.' Buffy moved forward and "Drusilla" stepped back, and it was then Buffy knew they were close. She made a split second decision and charged the First, barrelling her to the ground and landing a solid punch to her face. "Drusilla" screeched and pushed Buffy off before disappearing.

'Willow, we're close to him, we need to find him now.'

The walls of the cave began to shimmer and change and the two girls ran. The ground shook beneath their feet as they ran and it took every ounce of strength to stay upright as they ran. Buffy was doing nothing but following her heart now, knowing the First was on edge about her finding the souled vampire. She'd been going about it all wrong.

She just had to trust her feelings.

* * *

Angelus stared at the hole, as he had been for the last half hour, when the town began to shake and cave in on itself. In a flash, Darla was stood next him, smiling that beautiful smile of hers that he had always adored. But he knew this wasn't really his Sire.

'Angelus, my darling.' She looked at the hole the Slayer and her friend had gone down. 'Why aren't you following them and ripping their throats out, I thought that was the plan?'

'No. It was your plan, and you aren't Darla.' He snarled, clenching his fists and watching as parts of buildings fell down and smashed into nothing. 'You're the First and you are attempting to control me. I don't think you've done your history. I don't _like_ being played.' He glanced at "Darla". 'And it looks like your plan is falling down around your ears.'

'Oh, I assure you, lover, it is not.' She moved towards him and ran a hand down his chest. 'The slayer and the witch are quite close to finding him. I had hoped you could keep them busy until I'd finished with little William, but you weren't quick enough. Out of practice I guess.' Angelus growled and pushed her hand away. 'But I have a better idea. You're going to be my…consort, like Caleb was. You met him, right? I'm going to join with you, and make you stronger than you've ever been. I'm nearly done with Willy, and I'll be fully corporeal. I can be whoever I want to be and walk amongst the sheep, finally getting my hands into some warm flesh.'

'I'm not anyone's lackey.'

'You won't be my lackey. You'll be my equal. And I only have one thing I require of you.' Angelus turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Darla" smiled, knowing she had him on her hook. 'I cannot kill William. The Slayer will find him and take him from me. They will return to the other dimension. I will send you back there, and your only task is hunt down your grandchilde and kill him. Make sure he no longer walks the earth. He is the only thing that can stop me, and you will see to it that my rule is complete.'

He didn't reply, but stood watching her as the world fell down around their ears. He smiled cruelly and she knew he would do it.

And the world gave way beneath their feet.

* * *

They had somehow ended up in a vast cavern, underground and boiling hot. The walls were made of a rock Buffy had never seen before, almost like it was breathing. The ground shuddered underneath their feet as it settled and the slayer knew they were seeing the true form of the First's world. The air was choking her, thick and viscous as it invaded her senses, and she looked to Willow to see she was struggling too. The witch pointed ahead and Buffy followed her indication, seeing the naked figure tied to a podium in the centre of the cavern.

The podium itself was made of jagged rock, and the figure was badly beaten, strange symbols carved into his chest (for it was fairly clear it was a him) and blood pooling on the floor around him.

She didn't need to look closer to see it was Spike.

That didn't stop her taking off across the cavern, stumbling over rocks and uneven ground to get to him. She slipped in his blood felt sick as she tried to reach him, but it only felt like he was further out of her reach each time she stretched her arm out. Willow appeared behind her, slipping an arm round her shoulders in comfort as she realised she was crying. Finally her hand connected with his flesh and she reeled back as she felt how hot he was to the touch. His skin was covered in blood and sweat and he was skinnier than she ever seen him before, almost to the point of emaciation.

'Willow….is this a trick? Is the First making me see this?' She asked desperately, wiping away tears as she scrambled to pull him down from the podium. Willow didn't reply, tears tracking down her cheeks at the sight of Spike, her hands moving to help Buffy get him down. After a few moments work in silence, the two women finally dragged the vampire, as gently as they could, from the podium to the floor, moving him out of the way of the blood on the floor. They placed him on the rock, and Buffy ran her hands over his body, taking stock of his injuries.

One wrist lay at an odd angle, and she was fairly positive it was broken. A rib had broken through the left side of his abdomen and bone protruded in an ugly manner, making Buffy feel even sicker than she had before. Bruises and cuts were scattered across his body and the right side of his head looked like it had caved in at the temple. Blood dribbled from his ears, and half of his finger nails had been torn off. The only way she knew he was alive was the simple fact of his continued existence, that he was not dust.

She felt her tears increase and she sobbed loudly, looking up at her friend, who was crying just as much. 'Willow, we need to take him home.'

'Angel said the hotel wasn't safe.' Willow whispered, her voice raspy with emotion. 'I can try and focus on wherever Dawn is, using you as the connection, but that may not be safe either.'

The ground underneath them shook again, and Buffy looked around wide-eyed. 'We're not exactly safe here, Wills. We need to get back to our world, get him away from here.'

'I think the fact that she left him be means she's done with him.' Willow said quietly, her eyes still raking over the vampire's injuries.

'I don't care. He was soulless all those years in Sunnydale. He loved me before the soul, Wills, he'll still love me now. Can we just get him home?' Buffy was almost shouting at her in desperation and Willow reached over, taking her friend's hand.

'I don't doubt that Buffy, not now. Shut your eyes and concentrate. It should be easier to get home because it's where we are _supposed_ to be. Keeping us here is harder than sending us back.' She paused. 'What about Angel?' She asked, waiting for Buffy's response. The Slayer ran her hand down the injured vampires face, her eyes flickering up to Willow's with a harder edge in them than the witch had ever seen before.

'Fuck Angel.'

* * *

**A/N: Ooooeeerrr, strong words from our vampire slayer! About time she said it though, in my opinion anyway! Sorry for this short chapter, but I'm hoping to give you more at the weekend! Remember, reviews get it done quicker!**


	10. Lights On

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR: **Willow is attempting to return herself, Buffy and an injured Spike back to the real world, leaving a soul-free Angel behind. Buffy has made it clear where her priorities are, and Cordelia is most annoyed that Angel didn't listen to her.

**A/N: **I'm hoping to get this moving along quite nicely now, I would like to very much thank my loyal reviewer ginar369, who has kept me going with this one! I've also just completed my first 5k charity race after having lost 50lbs since last year! I ran the race in a full Pikachu onesie too! And it was really warm, so that was knackering. But it's back to the fanfiction for now. Please review if you read, it doesn't take five seconds and it's always nice to know what people think of my work!

* * *

**LIGHTS ON**

* * *

Her eyes took a few seconds to adjust. She was blinded like someone had set off a thousand camera flashes in her eyes. She could feel Willow's hands on hers, Spike's chest solid beneath her palms, but for the moment, she couldn't _see_ anything.

Slowly, the world around them came into focus and she blinked, shaking the dizziness of the shift between dimensions away from her mind. Looking around, she saw that her witchy friend had managed to return them to the exact same spot that they'd left in the first place. But their friends were nowhere to be seen and the lobby of the Hyperion was a mess. The front desk had a hole through it and the sofa in the middle was upturned. The pipes where Faith had been secured were ripped from the wall, and Dawn was not where Buffy had left her.

She got to her feet, frowning at her surroundings, until Willow made a funny groaning noise and sat backwards, her hand moving to her forehead. The Slayer was at her side in an instant, checking her over. 'Are you okay?' She asked, her hand coming to rest on Willow's shoulder.

The witch nodded, brushing her hand away. 'Yeah. Just took a bit more oomph with Spike. He was unconscious so it was harder to ground him.'

'Okay. Just take a minute yeah? Looks like what Angel said was true, something kicked off big time here. I'm going to go see if I can find the others.' She stood, glancing over at a still unconscious Spike, before heading for the office.

The office itself was trashed, the door hanging from a single hinge and the desk upturned. It looked like the books had either been taken or destroyed, with pages lying everywhere. The chair was in pieces on the floor and the small window to the side of the door was smashed in. Seeing no blood, she moved away from the ruined room and headed for the stairs. As she made it up the first flight, she saw feet dangling over the top step and she rushed to them, finding a passed out Xander with a nasty gash to his forehead. She remembered Angel saying he was infected, and frowned, checking him over for anything serious. His heartbeat was strong and his breathing normal – he'd just been knocked out. She hesitated, before grabbing his arms and dragging him into the nearest suite, before locking the door. She'd get Willow to magically restrain him later.

Brushing her hands off, she moved through the rest of the hotel, finding the baby slayers hidden in the same place they had been left, all still magically sedated. No one else was in the hotel, but she had found evidence of a struggle outside the room the Slayers' were in. Sighing and turning, she headed back down to the lobby to check in with Willow, dropping via Angel's old suite to grab some trousers and a t-shirt for Spike. They were oversized but better than him being naked.

She found the witch looking a much better colour, sat cross legged with her hands over Spike's damaged torso. He was still out cold.

'Find anything?' Willow asked, her eyes still shut, not moving from her task.

'I found an unconscious Xander. Locked him in one of the suite near the Slayers'. They're still out cold. What are you doing?' She sat opposite her friend and watched in fascination as the wounds on Spike slowly but surely began to fix themselves.

'Using magic from the earth to heal him. It's hard, his wounds are very bad. There's a lot of internal damage we can't see.' She exhaled and opened her eyes, dropping her hands. 'That's all I can manage. I've done a lot of magic recently, and I need to rest.'

'We're not exactly secure here.' Buffy frowned. 'Can we magically sedate Xander and put him in with the girls? We'll take a suite of our own while you rest and I'll go see if I can find Dawn, Giles, or any of the others.' Willow nodded, looking at the front door, which mostly lay in tatters on the steps coming down into the lobby.

'That sounds like a plan. Think you could rustle up something to eat whilst you're out there? I'm going to turn off these electric lights and find some candles.' The witch slowly got to her feet as Buffy began to gather Spike into her arms gently.

'I'll see what I can do. You go sort out Xander, I'll move this vamp somewhere more comfortable.'

* * *

'This is pretty useless.' Fred sighed, her head resting on her palm as she used her other hand to finger through the book she had laid out in front of her. Wesley sighed and looked up with a wry smile, shutting the book he had just finished.

'We can only persevere.' He said quietly, looking to Giles. 'Anything?' Giles didn't respond, his hand furtively scribbling notes on an already overcrowded notebook. Wesley waved at him, his brow creasing. 'Giles?' The ex-librarian still didn't respond. 'Giles?'

'Hmmm?' Giles made a noise as he looked up, a faint hint of annoyance on his face. Wesley raised his eyebrows, slightly shrugging his shoulders.

'Anything?'

'Oh.' Giles paused and looked at his notes. 'Oh, yes! Something, I think, anyway.' He pulled the notebook on top of the book. 'I've found references to the "hero against heroes", and the "warrior of light-tinged darkness" and some about the "origins of evil". From what I can decipher from the Ancient Greek-'

'We were dealing with Latin earlier.' Wesley remarked, earning himself a scathing look.

'Yes, well it would seem that some of this prophecy has its roots in Ancient Greece. It's been known that prophecies become widespread between nations. Even over the ages. The Ancient Greek prophet Tiresias, was indicated to have predicted that the "origins of evil can only be destroyed by the fallen in possession of the staff of Opis".'

'Opis.' Wesley interrupted. 'That sounds familiar.'

'It should. Opis is the ancient Babylonian city rumoured to be on the east bank of the Tigris near the river Diyala. Near modern day Baghdad. From what I understand, this staff is most likely still there.' Giles looked back down at his notes. 'From the demon texts, this staff was created and seven times blessed by the Lord demons of the Old World, before they were driven from this plane. It was created to repel the First.'

'So, we have to get to the Middle East?' Fred asked, looking a little green at the prospect.

'It would appear so. Without the internet, or indeed, Willow, to find anything more out on the Internet, we are stuck with assuming the Staff is there.' Giles' mouth set into a thin line. 'We must return to the hotel-'

'Get off me!' A loud shriek came from the bedroom, where Cordelia was watching over Dawn. Fred, Wesley and Giles jumped to their feet, running to the bedroom in a panic, only to find Cordelia on the floor, her eyes wide as she stared at the teen on the bed. Dawn was awake, which mean Willow's spell had broken.

'Dawn?' Giles asked, earning himself a glare from the teen.

'I can't believe you tied me up.' She spat, and then clutched her head, groaning. 'What the hell-' She bent forward, kneeling forward clutching her head and her chest. As she sat back up, her eyes seemed to glow with an ethereal light. 'Ahhh, fuck.' Giles winced at the brash language coming from the teen's mouth. 'What's happening?' Dawn whimpered, all traces of the rage gone from her voice, only fear showing through. Giles stepped forward, hesitantly moving towards the girl on the bed. She seemed to claw at her face and her whole body began to vibrate.

Giles reached out a hand, his finger almost within touching distance of her, when she seemed to explode outwards, and the entire apartment filled with a brilliant green light…

* * *

Spike opened his eyes and looked around. The first thing he noticed was a candle-lit ceiling, shadows playing over it gently. He watched them for a moment, noticing that his head felt six times its normal sized and was probably stuffed with cotton wool. With each passing second, a new pain opened itself to his awareness and he began to notice that there wasn't a part of his body that didn't hurt, so it probably wasn't a good idea to move. Reaching out with his senses, he felt another being in the room with him and several more beyond. He couldn't figure out who the person with him was, and sniffing to get an idea of their scent wasn't going to be the greatest idea he'd ever have.

He'd find out who it was later.

He passed out again.

* * *

The last time she'd gone wandering through the city it had been bad, but now it was worse. Bins on fire littered the street, people fought over scraps, almost all the shops had been trashed and the ground was covered with broken glass, blood and debris. She'd come across several corpses and it seemed that even the demons and vampires were affected by the "rage". She'd broken up three fights so far, and the last one she had come across, she'd had to run away as the human portion of the scuffle had then targeted her after she dispatched the demon. Luckily, utilising her Slayer skills, she managed to evade them.

She'd been wandering for an hour now, and had scavenged a bag of food and water for her and Spike. The butchers had been trashed and nothing was worse grabbing for Spike. The Slayer in her had rebuked at the idea, but she had come to terms with the fact that she would have to give him her blood and had done since she'd found him in the terrible condition he was in.

And she couldn't leave them much longer. Buffy had every faith in Willow's ability to protect herself and the others, but she wasn't going to run the risk of scouring the city. She had to trust that her sister was safe, that her friends were safe too. They would be reunited. An angry Giles would survive in this world.

Turning back on her path, she scaled the side of a building, standing atop the roof as a gang of angry humans passed by below. She hadn't wanted to entangle with any more groups, none of these people had asked for what happened and they could be saved. She knew that much. She never failed.

They just had to hope Spike could battle through after the number The First had done on him.

She scrambled across to the adjoining building, leaping the wide gap like it was a short step. The bag she carried rattled a little and she picked up the pace, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention. When she saw the Hyperion across the road, she climbed down a fire escape and sprinted to the front door, making sure she wasn't followed by slipping inside the dark building. Her Slayer senses couldn't detect anyone else in the lobby, and she quickly headed for the room she had left Willow with Spike in.

Buffy tapped on the door, feeling the magic protecting the room. Willow's muffled voice called out and she opened the door, quickly shuffling in and shutting the door behind her.

'Hey.' Willow chorused from her position on the floor. She was reading an old book she'd recovered from the office, having little energy to pick up healing Spike. Buffy moved over to sit next to the unconscious vampire, pulling the bag off of her shoulder and placing it next to Willow, who pounced on it with glee.

'Any change?' Buffy asked, checking Spike's wounds over.

'No. He opened his eyes briefly, and he was definitely awake, but he didn't say anything or move. He passed out again fairly quickly, I imagine from the pain.'

'Well, you get your strength up,' Buffy said, motioning to the bag. 'I'm going to do what a Slayer does best for her injured vampire.' Willow eyed her warily and Buffy knew the question in the witch's eyes. 'Don't worry. I don't think he could pull an Angel off if he tried.' Willow bobbed her head slightly, although the worry in her eyes did not decrease. She rummaged through the bag and came out with a packet of potato chips, that she ripped open and dug into. She found a carton of orange juice in the bag, along with a brioche roll, which she set to the side for Buffy.

The Slayer settled herself next to the sleeping vampire, her eyes roaming over his battered shell. She'd managed to get the trousers she had located onto him earlier, but she'd decided to leave his top half bare until he had healed. Slipping off her ripped jacket, she discarded it, knowing it had seen better days than the blood smeared ones she'd subjected it to. They've have to scavenge more clothes before they started looking caveman B.C.

She leant over the vampire, pressing her wrist to his mouth, hoping he would smell the tasty slayer blood and get the hint. After a few minutes of rubbing her flesh against his partially open mouth, she sighed and pulled away, looking around. Willow handed her a small pocket knife, which Buffy accepted gratefully, wincing when the half-dull blade bit into her skin. Blood welled up to the surface, and she saw Spike's nostrils flare. She held her wrist over his mouth, and let her blood drip in, waiting with baited breath for a few seconds as nothing happened.

Then he swallowed and she just about passed out in relief. His hand snaked up slowly from its resting place on the floor and he pulled her wrist closer. She saw the bones in his face ripple and then he grimaced, finding vamping out too painful. He used blunt teeth to latch onto her flesh, sucking hard as Buffy bit her own lip. After a few moments of slow pulls on her blood, he licked the gash clean, before gently pushing her arm away. He didn't open his eyes, but the corner of his bruised mouth hitched up in a small smile as he whispered "Thank you". Buffy nodded, and leant over, kissing his forehead before looking to the witch.

'He's out again.' Willow whispered. 'You should get some rest. I need to meditate to get more power. I'll wake you up in a couple of hours and you can let me sleep. Have these first.' She held out the supplements she'd pulled out of the bag earlier.

Buffy nodded, feeling the tiredness in her body. She took the roll and juice that Willow offered and wolfed them down, before settling herself down next to Spike, her hand resting in his as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

'What are you doing here, pet?'

She turned, smiling as he emerged from the darkness of the Bronze balcony. Moving towards him slowly, she checked him over.

'You look better.' Her smile got wider. 'No bones sticking out anymore.'

'All thanks to you and Red.' Spike whispered, a hand sneaking out to push a strand of hair behind her ear. 'You saved me. Like I never did you.'

'You saved me plenty, Spike.' Buffy replied, her hand coming to rest on his chest. 'I couldn't save your soul though. There's no getting that back.'

'Does it matter?' He asked, leaning his forehead against hers.

Buffy sighed. 'Maybe. To some.' He pulled back a little but she held him close, capturing his lips in a deep kiss. 'But not to me. Not anymore.' He smiled, kissing her back, before he was cruelly ripped from her. He landed against the wall behind them, the injuries she'd previously seen on him reappearing in an instant. 'Spike!' She shouted, and then the Bronze was full of people, music flooding her ears as she struggled to get to the fallen vampire. 'Spike!'

Strong arms encased her from behind, and she turned, finding Angelus holding her and swaying to the music. She shrieked and pounded against his chest, her eyes wide and bright as she fought against him. He laughed and carried on dancing, spinning her round as she felt sick and tried to seek out Spike in the crowd. The floor beneath their feet glowed green and Angelus stopped dancing, panic alighting in his eyes as he dropped the slayer to the floor. The panic dissipated as he glared down at her furiously.

'Give me your best shot, Buff.'

She jumped up and the world disappeared into green.

* * *

**A/N: **I don't know if you'll get anymore this weekend. It's going to be a very busy few weeks for me, but I'll try my best!


	11. Cry For Me Sky

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR: **Buffy, Willow and very injured Spike have made it back to the real world, and Buffy has attempted to find the others. Spike is gradually healing, and the world is still deteriorating. Giles was making headway on the answers they needed, before Dawn…well, exploded.

**A/N: **Thank you to those who reviewed! It makes me happy to know others are enjoying my work. Please let me know what you think of this latest chapter!

* * *

**CRY FOR ME SKY**

* * *

Giles woke abruptly, feeling pain lancing through his skull. He reached up and touched his head gingerly, feeling his fingers come away sticky. He pulled himself up and wiped his bloody fingers on his trousers. Getting to his feet was harder than he thought it would be, and he braced himself against the door, blinking to clear his vision. Looking around, he saw Cordelia still unconscious in the chair, and Fred sprawled on the floor, her chest rising and falling steadily. A black shoed foot sat in the doorway, attached to the leg of a very much out cold Wesley.

His gaze swept over the rest of the room, and he gradually moved towards the bed. Dawn sat on the edge, facing away from all of them, shoulders hunched and hair swept forward. She shivered slightly as he approached.

'I feel odd, Giles.' She whispered, and he drew close to the window, looking down at the young girl, his sense barely registering the heavy rain against the window. A random thought popped into his head. _At least the rain will put the fires out._ He shook the thought away. Sometimes it was ridiculous how being British included regular observations of the weather.

'How so, Dawn?' _Please let the rage be gone._

She shivered again, pulling her hair back out of her eyes. She didn't raise them to meet him.

'I feel…old. Like I remember what I was before, only not. Like déjà vu. Like a sense of knowing but not knowing.' Her voice was as low as it could be. He strained to hear her, and moved to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. A static shock hit him and he drew his hand back as if stung. Dawn looked up at him sharply, and he drew in a sudden breath.

Her eyes were always very expressive, but now they were swirling pools of green, like a hurricane in a small space. Electric seemed to fork outwards from her pupils and he took an unconscious step backwards.

The rage was certainly gone from the young girl, but it had been replaced with something else.

'They're going to need me. But I can't be here.' Dawn announced, her voice getting louder and more confident. She stood, ignoring the groans of Cordelia and Wesley coming around. She didn't even spare Giles a glance. 'I need to go.'

'Dawn, don't. We need to find your sister.' Giles made to reach out for her again, but she stepped out of his grasp, looking him dead in the eye with her own swirling emerald orbs. Then she softly smiled and seemed fold in on herself until she disappeared. Giles stood, gaping at the spot where Dawn had been.

'Where did she go?' Wesley asked from his proper up position in the doorway, confusing strewn across his face.

'I have no idea. But I believe something has changed in her.'

'Will she come back?' The younger man asked, clambering to his feet. Giles shrugged.

'We can only hope.'

* * *

Buffy opened her eyes slowly, reaching up to wipe away the sleep from her face. She could hear Willow's soft snores, and felt guilty for not waking up to take over. But seeing as they were all still there and in one piece, she was going to thank her lucky stars instead of feeling bad. She pushed herself up from the floor and immediately set to checking on Spike's wounds. He was still out cold, and far too thin for her liking, and she looked at the partially healed gash on her wrist, half-heartedly picking at the scab to reopen the wound. He needed to feed often, and her blood was best by far.

She reached out and placed her wrist over his mouth again, hoping he could do it without waking up. No sooner had she touched his lips, his eyes opened, and the blue orbs looked right at her from under bruised skin. He reached up and pushed her wrist away. She felt hurt until she realised he was still holding her hand and she gripped it back, not too tightly, as she knew one of his hands had damaged fingers but couldn't remember which one.

'Don't need any just yet, pet. Still working on the last lot.' She moved closer at his words, checking the wounds, specifically the damage to his stomach. The broken rib that had been protruding was mostly back in, and she didn't know whether that was due to her blood, Willow's magic or a combination of both.

'You look a bit better. Think you'll stay awake for more than sixty seconds this time?'

'Might be able to manage it.' He smiled, grimacing as he stretched the tender skin on his face. 'Don't think I'll be doing somersaults for you anytime soon.'

'I don't really require an acrobat at the moment.' She said, looking down and biting her lip. 'Although…' She trailed off, refusing to meet his fractured gaze.

'What is it luv?'

'I've missed you.' She whispered, gripping his hand a little tighter. Silence followed her declaration, and then she felt him gently tug on her hand. She looked up, and saw he was pulling her towards him. She curled into his side gratefully, kissing the unblemished part of his cheek. She didn't put an arm around him for fear of jostling his damaged abdomen, but the feeling of simply laying so close to him again had her jumping for joy inside. She closed her eyes. 'I could stay here all day.'

'It's raining outside. Don't see what we can do in the rain. I'm not good for anything much at the moment.' He remained still, his hand loosely holding her close.

'I need to find Dawn, Giles…any of the others.'

'Dawn is fine.' Spike said, his voice rumbling through his chest. Buffy frowned.

'How- how do you know?' She whispered, thinking about her previous dreams. Spike chuckled.

'Little sis has her ways.'

'She was infected.'

'She's not anymore.' He replied, sighing in loss when Buffy moved away from his arms and looking at him seriously. He didn't wait for her to ask. 'Those dreams you've been having? They're all real. Dawn is what Angelus is scared of. Seems the littlest Summers is as much of a superhero as her big sis. Except her colour was always green. Yours was always red.'

'The Key.' Willow whispered and Buffy jumped. She hadn't realised Willow was awake. The red headed witch grinned apologetically. 'Sorry, Buffy. You woke me up when you two started talking. I was just super quiet.' She moved over and checked Spike's wounds. 'I can do some more for you today, Spike. I'm all rested and full tummied now.'

'Thanks Red. I wouldn't mind being able to move under my own speed at some point.'

'We'll see what we can do.' The witch smiled and began to check each of his wounds. Spike looked somewhat uncomfortable, and Buffy began to stroke his hand with her thumb, smiling at him in a slightly goofy manner. He caught the action, and the expression and smiled back, as much as he could.

'In all seriousness though, I need to go look for them. Regardless of anything, we have no research on how to destroy the First and my dreams aren't throwing up any hints. Are yours?' She asked the vampire and he attempted to shake his head, only to cry out in pain as he did so. Buffy frowned and squeezed his hand. 'Silly vampire.'

Willow cleared her throat. 'Do you remember what happened?' She asked, and Buffy watched as pain infiltrated his expressions. He nodded gently. 'Can you tell us?'

'Just the run of the mill torture, Red. I know I don't have a soul anymore. I don't know how it got that, but it's been doing it gradually for…'

'How long was it for you?' Buffy asked quietly, the remembrance of the last time those words were uttered between them heavy on her mind.

'Felt like a millennia.' He replied, just as quiet. Willow's mouth set in a thin line.

'We'll finish it, Spike. You'll be free from all this.'

'Yeah. Once I've done the duty of a good little hero.' His tone was nasty, and Buffy bristled a little and then let it go, leaving it for when he wouldn't be causing more damage getting upset. She let go of his hand and moved to the window, pushing aside the curtains daintily and looking out over the city, blanketed by heavy rain. She sighed, wondering where to start.

'I need Giles.'

* * *

The body dropped to the floor with a hefty thud and Angelus grinned as he inhaled the thick LA air.

'I love that smell. Fear and chaos.' He exhaled and looked over at "Darla", who was lounging against the wall, watching him in his kill. 'The infected are no fun. Their fear isn't there anymore. It's the ones that aren't infected – they are delicious. They have no clue of the destruction you've brought upon them.' He moved towards her, cocking his head to the side. 'It won't be as much fun if everyone on the planet is infected by you.'

"Darla" smiled sweetly. 'Not everyone will be infected. There are a few who remain immune to my charms. Enough to keep even you amused Angelus.'

'It's a long eternity. Might want to be more than a few.'

'Oh you'll be plenty entertained, my boy.' She kicked off the wall and strode towards him, heels clicked on the alley concrete. She stepped around him and over the dead body in a dainty manner, before turning and crouching to inspect his handiwork. 'She wasn't immune to me. But she hadn't succumbed yet. Some take longer than others. And she was terrified when she died.'

'That I like.' Angelus said, his eyes running over "Darla's" exposed thigh under the short skirt she wore. He did miss her Catholic school girl ruse. He knew this entity was not his Sire, but it didn't hurt to pretend. She stood up, interrupting his musings.

'We have work to do. It's taken energy for me to get you here, thanks to that little witch and her tricks. We need to find the Slayer and that vampire' – she spat the word with disdain –'and end them before they have a chance to undo all my hard work.' She looked at him thoughtfully. 'I'd imagine you have some idea where they'd be hiding. I did a number on William, and he won't be recovered yet.'

'Chances are they've gone back to where _Angel_ was with them before. And there's a whole room of unconscious slayers that would make a wonderful masterpiece.' He smiled evilly as he held out his arm in a mock gentlemanly fashion. 'Shall we?' She smiled back, accepting his offered arm and placing a foot in the middle of the dead girl's corpse, using it to bolster a light jump to his side. The girl rocked on the floor, her unseeing eyes open to the crumbling world around her.

* * *

Buffy sat on the roof of the Hyperion, trying to shut out the screams that echoed around the dying city. The skyline was alight with a hundred fires and the sounds of smashing glass had ceased to be accompanied by sirens long ago. The uninfected were hiding from those gleefully causing havoc across LA streets. Homes burned and families killed, millions of lives around the world were falling to pieces and she had never felt so hopeless.

Until she thought of the vampire laying below her, slowly being nursed back to health by a combination of her blood and Willow's magic. He made her feel like she could defeat this, made her believe in herself again.

For the most part.

A small part of her, the seventeen year old part, was still cowering in terror at the thought of having to deal with Angelus again. She had barely made it through the last time and it had only been thanks to Spike that she had then. Her Watcher was missing, her sister too and she had no idea how to defeat this evil she had been forced to fight. She could only hold faith in the strength she felt when Spike was with her. The strength her friends gave her, even if she was separated from them now.

'You were always hard on yourself.'

Buffy jumped at the voice and turned with wide eyes to see a figure standing a few feet away, bathed in a unearthly glow. Her eyes filled with tears as she watched the figure take a step closer and then climbed to her feet. She so wanted to run to her, to take comfort in her embrace, but something held her back.

'I wish I could hug you too, honey.' Joyce Summers smiled, clasping her hands in front of her. 'But I had to come to you now for something else.'

'It's Dawn, isn't it?' Buffy whispered. Joyce nodded sadly.

'I've been told to tell you that Dawn was needed. She will come back to you, they've promised me that. But she has to…adapt. There is so much more inside her than we knew, so much she can give to the world, and to you. She won't be gone long and she is safe.'

'The green glow, I dreamt it. She's becoming the Key isn't she?' Buffy questioned, her entire body aching from being so close to her mom yet unable to touch her. Joyce nodded and smiled softly.

'I'm so proud of you honey. You've become such a powerful and independent young woman. And Spike better take care of you, or I'll come back with that axe.' Her joke made Buffy burst into tears and Joyce moved closer, reaching out a hand. She couldn't touch her daughter, but her hand hovered over her cheek, the golden glow making Buffy feel warm for a moment. 'And you'd better take care of him.'

'Mom…I miss you so much.' Buffy wept, her words choked through sobs. 'I don't know if I can do this.'

'Buffy, look at me.' The Slayer raised wet eyes to her mother's ghostly face. 'You are a Summers woman, and the Slayer besides. There is nothing you can't do and nothing you can't fight. Believe in yourself and believe in Spike. He won't let you down.' She smiled and then looked off to her right, as if someone was talking to her. She frowned then looked back at Buffy apologetically. 'I have to go. I knew I wouldn't have long. Find Giles. He'll help, like he always has. I love you Buffy.'

And then she was gone.

Buffy sank to the ground, hugging herself tightly as she felt the cold seep into her bones once more.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this one. I just watched the new Star Trek movie and was feeling a bit inspired. My god, that was a good film!**


	12. A Little Piece Of Heaven

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR: **Hmmm. Dawn has disappeared, Buffy is feeling unsure and Angelus is up to all sorts of evil.

* * *

**A LITTLE PIECE OF HEAVEN**

* * *

'Angelus doesn't know about me.'

Spike opened his eyes and looked around, seeking out the source of the voice. The room around him was dim and the only source of light came from a small lamp in the corner. Pushing himself up with his arms, he found himself climbing easily to his feet, and feeling better than he had been before. _Witch's mojo must have worked wonders._ He thought and looked down, only to reel back in shock as he saw the tuxedo he was wearing. Crisp white shirt under finely tailored black tux and complete with stupid little bow tie.

He hated penguin suits.

He looked around, taking in the surroundings he found himself in. He remembered this apartment. It was the same one he had rented in Rome, back in the early 1960's, even down to the décor. He'd done it especially for Drusilla, acquiring it legally. They'd stayed here for many weeks, until a bar fight had drawn too much attention and caused them to have to flee suddenly.

Although he didn't remember Dawn being there.

She was perched on a lounger by an open window. The apartment was six floors up and provided a nice view of the city. She was dressed in a long flowing green dress, not an uncommon style of the era, with her hair pulled up into an elegant updo. She wasn't looking him, but he could see a faint green aura around her as she stared out the open window.

'What was that pet?'

'Angelus doesn't know about me.' She repeated, turning to face him. She was beautiful, his little bit. She was going to break many hearts when she grew up. 'He can't know about me.'

'I don't think I follow you, bit.' He stepped forward and Dawn rose from her seat. She was almost taller than him now, a lot taller than her sister was. He blinked and she was no longer the slip of a girl he'd seen six years before. The curse of immortality – time was fickle to him.

She looked at him now, almost fully grown, and he felt sadness. They'd never patched it up after that horrible year. She'd put so much trust and faith in him and he'd done nothing but let her down. She hated him.

Dawn shook her head, moving closer to him. 'I never hated you, Spike. I was angry at you for a long time, but I never, ever, hated you. I couldn't. How could I hate someone I loved so much?' He stared at her as she spoke and she smiled. 'For a long time, I was jealous of Buffy. She had your love, the one thing I wanted so much, no matter how wrong it was.' She sighed and ran a hand down his arm. 'I never thought to realise that I already had your love, and one that I should have treasured. You loved me like family, as much as my own, and I never even considered it.'

'I'll always love you like you were my own blood, Dawn.' He whispered, his eyes lost in the stormy green of hers.

'I know that. I always have in some way, but I couldn't see beyond childish feelings. I resented what you had with Buffy and I resented that it hurt you both so much.' She grew bashful all of a sudden. 'I'm sorry I threatened you.'

'You were protecting your sister, bit.' Spike replied, smiling softly. 'Nothing to apologise for.'

'There is. If I'd been more supportive, maybe things wouldn't have turned out the way they did. I know it's too late to change the past, but it's not too late to fix the future.' She stepped back from him. 'Angelus won't see me coming. You need to keep the First out of your head, don't let her get to you again. She will try, and she will try to make you doubt yourself. She'll try to make Buffy doubt you. Don't let them shake your belief in yourself. I can't be with you right now, but I'll be back soon. I've got something I need to get a handle on and then I can help. I just needed you to know that. And that I will always be with you, Spike. I'm a part of you, I always have been and I know that now.' She smiled. 'Even those stupid monks knew how important you'd be in the end.'

'Can't be too stupid, pet. They created one hell of a Summers.'

Dawn jumped suddenly and threw her arms around him. 'I love you Spike. Don't forget that.'

'I won't.'

* * *

He opened his eyes again and found himself back in the Hyperion suite, his wounds and pain back in full force. Not quite as agonising as it had been but he still couldn't summon the energy to roll over, let alone get up. He knew he wasn't alone, he could hear Willow breathing behind him. He didn't know where Buffy was, he must have fallen asleep again whilst Willow was working her magic on him.

'Willow?' He rasped, craning his sore neck slightly. In a flash, the witch was next to him.

'You okay?' She asked, checking him over.

'I'm getting there. I was just wondering where Buffy was.'

'She went to the roof for some air.' The redhead replied. Spike frowned and she rolled her eyes. 'She can take care of herself.'

'She hasn't found the watcher yet?' Willow shook her head and Spike sighed, willing his body to relax. Willow noticed his discomfort.

'Want me to give you something for the pain?' She asked and he raised an eyebrow.

'You found an open herb shop then?'

She smiled, and reached for the bag Buffy had retrieved earlier. 'No, but I have some Tylenol.' Spike pulled a face.

'I'm dead, pet. Human medicines don't tend to work on me.' He grunted as he tried to move. 'I need to get up. My muscles are freezing up here, I need to move about. Can't heal properly if I'm stuck in one position.' Willow nodded and took his arm, wincing as he tried to shift himself to his feet. After several moments of painful crunching and mixed noises of pain from the vampire, he was finally standing, breathing heavily and using Willow for support, but standing. 'Thanks, Red.' He pulled out of her grip and yelped as he took a step forward under his own weight. He stopped, feeling the witch a hair's breadth behind him, waiting to help him again. 'Don't mother me, Red.' He warned, gritting his teeth against the pain as he moved slowly across the room to a chair. He knew he couldn't push himself, but he couldn't bear to lay on that floor any longer. The witch ignored his warning and followed him, waiting until he was settled in the chair before moving away.

'You shouldn't push yourself too soon.' She scolded, sitting herself opposite him and crossing her legs. He scowled at her and watched as she shut her eyes, a small smile gracing the edge of her lips. 'I'm going to meditate. Stay quiet. I'm drawing energy from the earth to heal you.'

He complied and watched her for a few moments, feeling himself calm under the influence she brought to the room. It wasn't long before his eyelids grew heavy again and he felt the returning pull of sleep.

It was only the jarring presence of another vamp in the building which roused both of them from the deep trance. Willow jumped to her feet and Spike bolted upright, his eyes wide, his focus no longer on the pain that racked his broken body.

'Angelus.' He whispered and Willow nodded. 'Buffy is still outside.' She nodded again and then pressed a finger to her lips.

_There is protection on this room and the surrounding two. He knows where the Slayers are. He does not know about Xander or us. But I wouldn't doubt who he is here for. _Willow's voice echoed in Spike's head and he pursed his lips.

_Can you warn Buffy?_ He asked, channelling his thoughts back to the witch. She nodded and then shut her eyes. He couldn't hear what she was saying in his mind, but hoped to God that Buffy would stay away. He jumped, and almost yelped as Willow reentered his mind.

_Buffy has gone down the fire escape, she left to find Giles and the others. She doesn't want to chance a fight with Angelus right now. Something has spooked her, Spike. We need to stay here and I need to keep the girls and Xander safe._ The witch kept her eyes shut, and Spike kept his eyes focused warily on the door. He was in no condition to fend off Angelus. The last time he had been in this shape, Angelus had visited some cruelties on him that he would rather erase from his memory.

Silence reigned in the room for what seemed like hours. Spike tensed as he heard the footsteps echo up the hallway and then frowned as he heard voices. Giggling followed and he frowned, still only sensing Angelus. Half of him wondered who was with the great lump, and the other half hoped to God that Willow's magic stopped Angelus sensing him.

'Oh, Willy.'

The voice was taunting and answered Spike's worry. The hackles on the back of his neck rose, and his hands gripped the chair so hard his fingers ripped the fabric. Willow's eyes snapped open and she glared at the door. Spike didn't dare speak.

'Wi-i-i-i-l-l-l-y.' Angelus drawled, his voice coming from right behind the door. 'There's some ripe girls in here. I can sense the slayer blood running through their veins. You think that witch can stop me getting to them? Can stop me tearing their throats out as they sleep?' A pause. 'There's someone else in the room next door. Smells like carpenter. He was infected. Said a few things I'd like to repay him for. Think Buffy'd like his entrails decorating your suite?'

Spike growled inadvertently, and Willow hissed at him. Her eyes were bleeding black – something was fighting her.

'I'm going to get in there, Spike. And you know, I've really missed our one on one male bonding time. You were always so – responsive.' A chuckle, and Spike felt sick to his stomach. Willow grimaced against whatever she was battling against. Spike knew the First had brought Angelus back through to this world, and knew that it was probably right outside that door with him.

'No.' Willow whispered. Spike looked at her in concern. She sounded panicked.

'You've never been able to take me down, Willy.' Angelus continued. 'You might wanna come out here and distract me from all these other delicacies.'

A crack split the room apart and Willow cried out. She fell forward. 'Spike…it got through. The girls…' She cried out again, feeling her defences go down.

'Buff!' Angelus' voice came through from the hallway again. Spike's head whipped round, distracted from the witch. 'So glad you could join the party.'

'Buffy.' Spike whispered. Willow shook her head.

'He's lying. He's trying to draw you out. But they have got into the girls. He doesn't want them. He wants you.' Willow climbed to her feet. 'You need to be better. Now.' She turned to face him, and held her hands out, flattening her palms towards him. 'I'm going to be drained. You need to get him out of here, and this is all the power I can give you.'

Spike felt something akin to a brick wall hit him, and he felt like his skin was being pulled apart. He screamed, kicking himself for the weakness. Fire spread through his veins and for what seemed like hours he burned from the inside out, feeling ribs and bones knit back together as Willow flooded him with magic. All of a sudden, he met the floor hard and gasped for unneeded air.

A few seconds passed and he looked up, seeing Willow laying on the floor, gasping for air she did need, her eyes watery and her skin pale. 'Spike.' She whispered. 'Get him away from the girls.'

Spike pushed up from the floor, finding his body renewed with energy, his wounds healed, the pain gone. How Willow had done this, he had no idea, but he knew it was at great personal risk to herself. He had to stop Angelus and The First from getting to anyone in this hotel. He turned to face the door, and strode to it, feeling the strength he'd missed in his veins. Grasping the handle, he flung the door open and smiled brightly as he came face to face with a slightly shocked Angelus, who hadn't been expecting a fully healed Spike.

'Hallo, Angelus!'

* * *

Buffy looked back at the Hyperion with regret. Willow had told her to find Giles, that they could go no further without research and answers. Her friend had promised they would be okay, but it tore Buffy inside to leave them to face Angelus. It went against everything in her to leave her friends and to leave Spike, but Willow had insisted. Within seconds of leaving, Buffy had stopped running, unable to leave the hotel. She knew she had to find Giles, but she also knew to leave those she loved to their fate, no matter what Willow said, would be betraying all she was. Giles would have to wait.

She turned and sprinted back to the hotel, kicking her way through the lobby door. The main lobby itself was empty, and she headed for the stairs, stopping as she heard a door being flung open. She held her breath, and then exhaled in relief as she heard Spike's baritone ring from the upstairs corridor. 'Hallo, Angelus!'

Buffy crept up the stairs instead of stomping, and peeked around the corner, her eyes widening as she took in Spike's restored form. He stepped forward, and she saw the satisfaction on his face as Angelus stepped back, unsure of this new development. He seemed to be alone, which was odd when Willow had said she could sense the First with him.

Spike shut the door behind him, concealing the weakened witch. He didn't spot Buffy, but something in his body language told her he knew she was there. Angelus knew too, as he looked towards her, a cruel smile spreading across his face. He shook off his uncertainty and pulled himself to his full height, turning his maniacal gaze back to his former protégé.

'Spike. Glad to see you are feeling better.' He opened his arms. 'But at what cost?'

The blonde vampire smiled. 'No cost. Not on my part. Yours maybe.' He didn't wait for a retort, throwing a solid punch to Angel's face. The darker vampire went down with a crunch and came back up in seconds, bumpies in place, snarling and baring his fangs at the younger vampire. Spike vamped out too, and lunged for his elder again. They rolled down the hallway, out of Buffy's sight, and she craned her neck to see what was going on. Growls and flesh hitting flesh reached her ears and she moved to the top of the stairs, only to be confronted with herself.

Her mirror image folded her arms, looking at her with disdain.

'You can't watch this one. I've got something else for you to see.' "Buffy" smiled and looked over her shoulder to the suite the Slayers had been left in. The door was opened and Buffy felt her heart leap into her throat. She pushed past her "twin", not registering the corporeal form the First could now take. The two vampires had moved their fighting through a wall and into the suite opposite the one they had been using, the wall not being able to stand up to two fully grown men going through it. Buffy ignored them for the moment, rushing into the room the girls were supposed to be safe in.

Her vision was filled with red and she screamed.

* * *

**A/N: Was that mean? Had to be. On the Dawn/Spike scene – I always felt this was left unresolved by the show. Dawn and Spike were always close, they spent five months in close proximity and had a very sibling like relationship. I was sad they never patched up their problems in the show. Please review, I will aim to have another chapter for you by the end of the week!**


	13. Breaking The Girl

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR: **Angelus and Spike are fighting. There won't be oil of any kind. But a girl can dream right?

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I had someone message me asking why I haven't included Andrew in this story. The reason is simple – I cannot write him in a serious capacity and whilst I enjoy a certain amount of humour, and do love his character, he really has no place in my story but to scream and get killed. And I couldn't bear to kill him. So I'm sorry, there is unlikely to be any Andrew contained within the pages.

* * *

**BREAKING THE GIRL**

* * *

Buffy's scream distracted him. He was gleefully punching holes in Angelus and then she screamed. It threw him off. Angelus landed a solid right hook to his face and sent him flying into a wall, dazing him. Angelus was behind him in a second, his fangs inches from tearing his throat out. Then he stopped.

'Angelus. We have to go.' A voice called to the older vampire, and Angelus growled, his bumpies vanishing.

'I'm not done here.' He ground out, his hand fisted in Spike's hair.

'We are. For the time being. I've done what we needed to do. He can wait. Now is not the time.'

Spike frowned, recognising the voice. He twisted in Angelus' grip, breaking it and pushing his elder away, his golden eyes going wide at the sight of Darla stood impatiently in the hole they'd made in the wall. 'Darla?'

'It's not really her, you idiot.' Angelus hissed, and punched the younger vampire again. Spike stumbled backwards and tripped over a block of wood from the wall, landing on his back on the floor, his vamp face receding. Angelus leaned over him, grabbing him by the front of the oversized shirt he was wearing. 'This far from over, William.' He kissed the blonde full on the lips and then pushed him back down, disappearing from the room with Darla.

Spike lay in shock, staring at the gap in the wall and feeling a bit sick from the twisted kiss of Angelus, when Buffy's soft sobs reached his ears. In a flash, he got to his feet and ran to the room where the Slayers were. As he entered and saw the devastation before him, he feel to his knees, finding Buffy on hers in front of him. His eyes roamed around the room, the macabre display, and he felt sick to his stomach.

He had failed again.

There had been seven Slayers in this room, all sedated, protected, or so they thought. Willow had fought to keep them safe but their defences had fallen. Angelus was a distraction meant for him. The First had done this.

Footsteps alerted him to Willow's approach. She was wobbly and tearful, and upon seeing the human destruction wrought in the small hotel room, she turned and threw up the meagre contents of her stomach. Buffy's sobs continued, becoming harsher as she begged for something to take it back. Spike moved to her, putting his arms around her, but she pushed him away, standing away from him.

'This is my fault. I wasn't here.'

'Buffy-' He started but she punched him. He rocked backwards, his hand going to the spot on his jaw that her fist had connected with. She covered her mouth and shook her head.

'Oh God…Spike…I'm sorry…'

He shook his head, and got to his feet, rubbing the spot. His eyes wandered around the room; there was so much blood. He'd never seen anything like this; not even when he had been at the peak of evil. Even Angelus in his heyday wasn't this. The First had ripped these girls apart. And had enjoyed it.

'This was a message.' Buffy said, her tone cold and even. 'A message for me.'

'This was a message for all of us.' Willow said, gagging from her spot in the corridor. She couldn't bear to enter the negative energy of the room. 'She beat my defences down. She is telling us we are weak.'

'We're not weak.' Spike growled. 'We were caught off guard. It kicked us while we were down. Now we get back up and fight.'

'There were seven girls in here Spike!' Buffy shouted. 'Seven girls, _I_ was responsible for. And she tore them apart! I am weak. I can't win this fight. I've lost Xander, I've lost Giles, I've lost Dawn. I don't have anything left to fight with.'

'Bollocks. You've come back from the brink before. You always come back stronger.' He grabbed her by the arms.

'No, I come back a little less me.' She said, pushing him away. 'I let this happen. I've let all of this happen. This whole thing is because I didn't do my job.'

'I let the defences slip, Buffy. It's my fault.' Willow whispered, drawing into herself as she sagged against the opposite wall in the corridor. Spike turned to her, raising a hand and pointing his index finger in her direction.

'Don't you start.' He turned back to Buffy. 'Yeah, you've lost a lot. But you've gained a lot. I told you, Dawn isn't gone! Giles is out there somewhere, Xander is still out cold next door. I can hear him. This was her plan, she was going to do it whether we were here or not. She is _trying_ to weaken you and you are letting her! Use this, use the anger, Buffy. Get fucking mad! Get so mad you could rip something apart!'

'I can't! I'm empty, Spike!' Buffy sobbed, her face crumbling. Spike grabbed her arms again, feeling her body sag a little.

'Bollocks!' He shouted, 'You are Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the most irritating bint I've ever come across. I've told you a million times just how amazing you are and you still don't fucking listen! So buck the hell up. Cos this is the last time I'm saying this! You are THE Slayer. The strongest I've ever come across. You're so strong you've reduced two vampires to love-whipped puppies. You've beaten down Hell God, Trolls, and the mouth of Hell itself! So you can do this. You can fight. You need to use this, use these girls as a reason. Take revenge for what's been done here!' Buffy sobbed harder and Spike glared at her. 'I didn't want to do this Buffy. And you're gonna be pissed.'

He punched her.

She reeled back in shock.

Her face set in a determined line.

And then she clocked him back.

He laughed maniacally, and she punched him again. 'Yeah, that's it! Give it me good, Slayer.' She punched him again, so hard he flew back through the door, narrowly missing Willow. He laughed again, opening his arms. She flew for him, rugby tackling him to the floor. He blocked her new punch, and rolled them over, but she got her legs underneath his abdomen and kicked him over her head. He rolled down the stairs, chuckling all the way, springing to his feet at the bottom. Buffy jumped up and slid down the banister, landing a kick to his face as Willow followed them down into the lobby.

'Buffy! I just fixed him!' She said loudly, waving her hands.

'Don't worry, Red. This is a thing. It'll be over in a minute.' Spike said, ducking punches from the enraged Slayer. Buffy caught him with an uppercut to the face, and he made a funny noise as he went up in the air and hit the floor. Buffy straddled him, her fist drawn back for another punch, and then she stopped.

Spike waited for a second, one eye shut for the coming punch, and then confusion crossed his face as he waited.

Then she bent down and kissed him. Hard.

Willow turned away as the two super beings made out, moving away from them. Personally, she didn't feel now was the time, but apparently Buffy had issues only Spike could draw from her. She headed back upstairs to check on Xander, purposefully ignoring _that_ room, and ignoring the smacking noise of the two blondes snogging on the floor.

* * *

It was several minutes before Buffy stopped attacking his mouth. When she drew away, she looked sheepish, and she slipped off to sit beside him with soft "oof".

'I'm sorry.' She whispered. 'You're right.'

'I usually am. It's a curse.' He sat up, looking at her.

'I just…it's horrible. I left, for a moment I was going to run and leave you guys to defend yourselves. And because I did that, those girls are dead. But you are right. I need to avenge them now. I need to make up for my mistake.' He opened his mouth to rebuke her claim of fault but she held her hand up. 'Don't tell me it isn't my fault; I'm a slayer. If I don't stop it, it's my fault. But I have to stop this. We have to stop this.' She looked at him pointedly, then her expression softened. You're so…the same.'

'The same, pet?' He asked.

'As you were before. With or without the soul, you're the same. I don't understand how Angel is-' Spike cut her off.

'No. Angel is a dick with or without the soul. If you think that soul mattered one blood iota to me, then you're stupider than I gave you credit for.' Buffy gaped at him, but he seemed to be angry now. 'I got the soul for you and only you. So the only person it ever mattered too, was you. I guess you have to decide if it makes a difference. Me? I got a world to save.' He stood up. 'Make your decision, Summers.' He held a hand out to her.

She eyed his hand up for a moment, and it was almost a moment too long, as Spike began to draw his hand away. But she grabbed it at the last second, and used it to haul herself to her feet.

'It doesn't. Not with you. Maybe it did before. But not now.' She looked into his eyes. 'And not ever again.' She smiled. He returned it and squeezed her hand. 'Now. I suggest we grab Xander and Willow and go find the other irritating British guy in my life.' She dropped his hand and moved up the stairs, Spike following shortly behind. She wasn't past what had happened. She would need time to grieve, they all would. But right now, she had a mission and she needed something to use to fight.

The mission was what mattered.

* * *

Giles growled and threw the book over his shoulder, feeling a slight second of satisfaction as it hit the floor. He would kill for a decent whiskey round about now, but Fred being Fred, didn't seem to believe in alcohol. He doubt the innocent seeming young lady had ever touched a drop of the hard stuff. Glancing over at her, he saw she was asleep on a book, the slightest hint of drool in the corner of her mouth. He smiled, wondering how anyone could sleep, but then he'd thought the same a few short days before, when it had been Anya drooling on a table.

He only hoped that Winifred Burkle didn't end up with the same fate.

His gaze moved over to Cordelia, who was thumbing through another book, looking as bored as only Cordelia Chase could. Wesley was next to her, scribbling furiously on his pad one second, the next crossing something out and cursing himself under his breath. He was working as hard as he could, ever the Watcher, but they were coming up with nothing more. The only information they had related to the need to find the Staff Of Opis but he doubted there would be any commercial flights running from LAX now.

A loud pop echoed through the room and the occupants jumped, Fred waking abruptly and almost falling from her chair. Despite his own shock, Wesley was at her side in a moment, steadying her. Giles allowed a brief ponderance of the younger man's devotion to the Texan, then turned his attention to the origin of the noise that had startled them all.

Anya stood in the centre of a particularly burned rug, smiling with her demon countenance firmly in place. Relief flooded Giles at the young woman's continued existence, before setting his face in a frown.

'Anya?' He asked, standing from his seat.

'Giles. It's very good to see you all in one piece.'

'And yourself…I was told-'

'Yes, I was. D'Hoffren decided I was too important to lose. I'm not a Vengeance Demon anymore, but he allowed me a reprieve from death to continue as his PA. His finances were a complete mess.' She smiled brightly. 'How are you? Aside from the apocalypse?'

'I'm-' Giles shook his head. 'Anya, I do not understand why you are here?'

'Oh yes. Well, some of the other demons are concerned. The First proposes a very bad economy for them, not a good situation all round. D'Hoffren didn't want to come himself lest he be seen as a little too left-wing, but he was willing to allow me to come and give you some advice. You need to find Willow and Buffy, and find that staff you've been looking up. Reading books is just going to get you a little bit deader. No one knows the ending of this particular scenario, and I've been told to give you the kick up the ass you're all needing.'

'I still don't-' He began and Anya held up a hand.

'None of that. You have to get the staff. Without it, Spike is a weapon without an edge. And while you're at it, let go of your petty demon fascism and believe in the bleached hair freak for a change. Put aside the Watcher. He's very wrong.' She smiled. 'Is Xander okay?'

'He's infected.' Cordelia interjected, confused by the exchange before her.

'Oh. As long as he isn't dead. I would like to see him again. Would you tell him I said hi?' She stopped and looked up, an expression of annoyance crossing her face. 'I have to go. D'Hoffren is impatient for his weekly fiscal report. I hope to see you again soon, Giles. And don't die.'

And with a second loud pop, she disappeared.

'She was…interesting.' Fred said quietly. 'And very straightforward.'

'That was part of her charm.' Giles muttered, looking down at his notes.

'So what do we do?' Wesley asked, only for Giles to stand in silence, staring at the notepad before him. After a few moments, he looked up, his face set in grim determination.

'We find Willow and Buffy, and find a way to get this staff.' He picked up his notes. 'Even if we have to steal a plane.'

* * *

**That's all for now, there won't be another chapter this weekend but I will aim for another before I go off on holiday!**


	14. With A Few Good Friends

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR: **So The First killed the slayers that had been left under protection at the Hyperion. Anya made a reappearance to warn Giles & company, and Buffy and Spike resolved a few issues with some punches and then some kissing…

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I received several messages regarding this story from someone who apparently skimmed the pages and decided it was a Bangel story. It's not and never will be. I get very annoyed when people leave comments that are completely untrue as reviews and even more annoyed that I cannot remove these, as there may be people out there would who have enjoyed this piece of work, and if they had seen these remarks, they may have decided not to read. I do not like Bangel. I accepted it as Joss' vision in the show, but my preference is Spuffy and always has been, ever since I laid eyes on that bleached blonde head. For anyone who read this expecting them to jump into bed straight away, I'm afraid they'll be disappointed, or already have been, as there is a bigger plot monkey at work here! Many thanks to those who left genuine reviews and I'm glad you are enjoying this piece!

* * *

**With A Few Good Friends**

* * *

Spike grimaced as he stood on the edge of a building roof, looking down at a fight occurring between two groups of humans. He wasn't sure what they were fighting about, nor did he particularly care – he was just checking to make sure none of the others was amongst their number. He watched for a few moments more and then moved on, stopping every now and then to inspect the road below. The chaos of the city made his demon jump for attention, and he knew it desperately wanted to seize the opportunity and run wild like he had once done – killing with gleeful abandon, painting the cursed town red. But the part of him that retained his humanity quashed the demon's seduction, and his thoughts turned to Buffy. She and Willow had moved Xander to another location, and he had left them in the abandoned office block, making sure that Willow had wards up before he left to scout.

Truth be told, he'd needed the time alone to come to terms with things. Something inside him, aside from the lack of soul, had changed. Not in a bad way; he still felt like the same old Spike. But it felt like something aged and primal had awoken inside him. It was a strange feeling, a little bit tingly if he was honest, but not one he would change now. He believed he was here for something and for once, something other than his deep love for Buffy, was guiding him along the path.

His inner musings were distracted by a familiar itch at the back of his neck. A slayer was close to him and he snarled without thinking, his distraction causing him to vamp out on instinct. He moved swiftly across the rooftop, blending into the shadows of a fire exit, his golden eyes scouting the surrounding area. She was quiet on her approach but no doubt aware of his presence. Silently he moved around the exit, catching sight of her as she landed silently on the gritted surface of the rooftop, a sharp knife glinting in her hand, blood splatters on the worn denim jacket she wore. She looked around, her face concealed by the curtain of dark hair that adorned her head. Spike watched in silence as she looked for him, her hand tightening around her weapon.

'I know you're here, vamp.' She growled, crouching into a defensive position. Spike knew if he engaged her, he would likely kill her, and he knew he could not do that. He had to get off this rooftop, and away from the temptation of another good day. He backed away, intending on moving behind the exit and dropping down to the fire escape at the other side of the building, but the door to the roof banged open and caught him unawares.

'Faith.' A voice rang out and Spike frowned. The signature of the person was not one his recognised, but it radiated with power and the scent was familiar to him. 'Stop.'

The Slayer turned sharply, and Spike saw her face. It was indeed Faith and Spike froze, seeing her eyes, red rimmed and full of rage. She'd picked up an injury to her forehead and crusted blood marred her pretty features.

'Up for a challenge?' She snarled at the newcomer and Spike watched as the figure stepped out from behind the door. He didn't recognise the boy, who looked to be no more than a teenager, but the scent was screaming at him now, telling him he knew this person.

'I'm not going to fight you Faith.' The boy raised his hands, but Spike could see the outline of a tire iron, tucked into his pants under his t-shirt. He knew the boy would not win against a rage-fuelled Slayer, no matter how much power he had in him. Faith had not been one to fight fair before she was infected.

'Pity. I guess you'll just die then.'

Without warning she attacked, and Spike jumped into action, spinning round behind the Slayer and wrapping an arm around her neck. He registered her stabbing the blade into his thigh, but merely grunted and applied pressure to her throat. Within seconds, she stopped struggling and slumped unconscious in her assailant's grip. The boy watched, his hand resting on where the tire iron was concealed, his eyes narrowed at the vampire.

'I could have handled that.' He said, his gaze not wavering as Spike laid the Slayer on the floor, minding her head on the hard ground.

'No you couldn't.' Spike replied, his human features taking over his face once more. 'You're not infected. She is. An opponent with no rational thought is not one you can defeat.'

'I can take care of myself.' The boy replied, his chin jutting high in arrogance and Spike was reminded of Angel. He paused and smiled.

'So _you're_ the brat.' He'd heard about Connor, in bits and pieces, from other and from the First, who had taunted him with his inability to create life. He knew about Holtz's involvement in the whole scheme. 'Been told about you.'

'Who are you?' Conner asked, his head tilting to one side, and he transitioned from his father to his mother in one move. Spike was in awe, he couldn't deny that; to give life to someone was something he had deeply wished for as a human, but as a vampire, he had held no interest in it.

'Bit of a relation. Come with me, I'll take you to the people who are trying to fight this thing. No doubt they could use your help.'

'If you're talking about Angel, I've no interest. He gave me up, gave me a fake life so he wouldn't have to deal with me anymore. But that loving family he gave me became infected and the magic unravelled. I remember everything. I don't want to see him.' Connor looked indignant as Spike laughed.

'Angelus is in charge at the moment, mate, and he isn't the one leading the rescue effort. More like the opposing team. I'm talking about the Slayer and her mates. Providing we can find any of them.'

Connor's face covered a few emotions in a moment and then he looked at Faith. 'She was the only one I could find. I couldn't find Gunn, or Wesley, or Fred. I don't know where Cordelia was put after….after Jasmine.' Spike looked confused as he thought about his words.

'Cordelia is up and walking about. My best guess is she is with Wesley, Fred and Giles. They're who I'm looking for. Gunn is missing. Come on, we'll go back to Buffy and find a way through all of this.' He bent down and picked Faith up, turned to jump from the roof. Connor made no move to follow him. He stopped and turned, raising an eyebrow at the young man. 'You coming or not?'

Connor hesitated for a second. 'I guess.'

* * *

Giles poked his head out of the door to Fred's apartment, looking for any signs of activity. When there was none, he shut the door and turned to the small group assembled inside the front room. 'We have to get back to the Hyperion and figure out where the others went. Hopefully Buffy and Willow have returned with Spike. We know that Angel isn't playing on our side now, so it's best to give him a wide berth.'

'Agreed.' Wesley said, his hands nervously fingering the axe he held. Fred stood next to him, a crossbow in her small hands and she nodded in agreement. Cordy had the bag of books and note slung over her shoulders and she too, nodded in agreement. Giles turned back to the door and opened it, waiting for the others to filter through before shutting it behind them. His thoughts briefly flashed to Dawn and he hoped that wherever she was, she was safe. He didn't fancy losing limbs because he'd lost Buffy's sister.

Twenty five minutes later, they were running from a small gang of infected humans. Fred had twisted her ankle and was limping heavily, and Cordelia was bleeding from her arm, a brick having caught her after a man had used it as a missile. The Hyperion was still six blocks away and Giles could not be sure at this point, whether they would make it or not. His lungs were burning and he felt like his legs would give out underneath him.

His heart nearly stopped when a black clad figure landed in front of him, grinning in his feral vampire face. Two or three seconds later, another figure in a loose fitting brown sweater landed next to the vampire and the group of four skidded to a halt before colliding with them. Seconds ticked by with no comment from either side, until the vampire's face melted back to human features and he smiled at Giles.

'Rupert! Just the Watcher I was looking for.'

'Spike!' Giles exclaimed, relief flooding his system. The noise of the infected humans behind them reached his ears. 'We have a small problem.'

'No worries there.' Spike motioned to the younger man beside him, and Giles wondered who he was before the two leapt into action. There were only six in the group, and within moments, they were all unconscious on the ground with minimal injuries. The vampire and his companion turned back to the small group and Spike grinned, hooking his fingers into the belt loops of the trousers that were a little too big for him. 'Where on earth have you lot been?'

Giles stepped forward. 'Hiding for the most part. Researching for the other. We know what needs to be done now. Where is Buffy? And Willow?'

'Oh my god. Connor?' Cordelia ran to the younger man, wrapping him in a hug. He returned it with vigour and smiled as she released him. 'You're okay!' She exclaimed, looking between the teenager and the others in excitement.

Wesley and Fred stared for a moment, and then a fog lifted from them and they finally remembered the young man, concealed from them by magic. The Watcher smiled. 'Connor. I'm glad to see you are okay?' Giles cleared his throat.

'As emotional as this is, myself having no clue who you are,' he motioned to Connor, 'Spike, where are Buffy and Willow?'

'The Hyperion wasn't safe. We were attacked by Angelus and the First posing as Darla. She's corporeal and she took out the Slayers they'd hidden. Buffy went to pieces but we pulled her out of it and moved to the office building three blocks from here.' He pointed in the direction of the building and then shrugged. 'We've still got Harris, sedated. I've just got to…gra something, before we head back there.'

'Grab what?' Fred asked, before the vampire smiled tightly and sauntered into the alleyway behind them. A few moments later he returned with Faith, still unconscious. Giles gasped and ran forward.

'Is she alive?' Wesley asked, his eyebrows conveying his mistrust of the blonde vampire.

'Yeah.' Spike sounded offended. 'I just knocked her out. Don't kill Slayers anymore.' He turned and began to walk away, not asking them to follow. Giles watched for a second before motioning for the others to follow.

The walk to the office block was made in silence, partly for fear of alerting any more infected and partly because of Spike's offended temperament. He'd changed, Giles knew that, but the initial mistrust of the vampire would always linger for him. He would never be happy about the relationship Spike held with his slayer, even with the proof of their destined relationship. Spike was soulless now and whilst Buffy may not care, Giles did and very deeply at that.

Spike drew to a stop in front of an old building block, which looked completely abandoned. A crumbling sign at the front announced it as a bank, but the name was burnt away. Windows to the lobby were smashed and the front doors hung limply from their frames. Giles didn't think it looked very secure, but he wasn't about to piss Spike off. The vampire had his eyes closed, and was deep in thought, and Giles somehow knew he was conversing with the witch inside.

Suddenly, a bubble lifted from the front of the building and the doors were magically fixed. The windows remained smashed, but there were lights glowing from the third floor and a familiar blonde head looking down at them. The vampire opened his eyes and marched inside, the other following with a slight hint of trepidation.

As soon as they had passed through, the bubble shut and the building returned to its dark and empty state. Giles looked back behind him, before he walked through the door at the front of the building, and saw the shimmer of the protective field around the premises. He marvelled at how far Willow had come and then turned his attention back to the group ahead of him. They climbed the stairs to the third floor and were greeted by an open plan office, the sectioning walls and chairs and desks all moved back to create a wide space. Xander lay against the furthest wall, his eyes shut and face slightly bruised. Willow sat in the middle of the room, her hands folded in her lap, legs crossed and face set in determination, eye closed. Buffy had run forward to embrace Spike, stopping short when she saw the unconscious slayer in his arms. Jealousy flashed across her face whilst he laid the brunette gently on the floor.

'Where did you find her?' She asked, concern overwhelming jealousy as she hugged her vampire.

'On a rooftop downtown, about to attack Angel's spawn.'

'Angel's…..whatnow?' Buffy asked, her eyes wide as she stepped back from him.

'Angel's son.' Cordelia supplied, pushing Connor forward. 'Connor.' The young man looked bewildered as the slayer contemplated him. She was shocked, Spike could see that much, and his own jealousy welled up inside him at her continued emotion for the elder vampire.

'Oh.' Buffy said in a small voice, and then shook herself out of it. She turned to Giles. 'So glad you guys are okay.'

Giles nodded, and motioned to Cordelia for the bag she carried. 'We have found some information, as well as receiving a visit from Anya.'

'Anya? She's alive?' Buffy asked. Spike perked up and waited for the watcher to reply.

'Yes. Apparently she's a PA now.' Fred supplied, earning a slight glare from Giles. She backed away into Wesley, who smiled and touched her lower back in support.

'Good for her?' Buffy looked surprised and suddenly wished Xander was awake. Spike's gaze had also fallen to the Scooby on the floor. 'You said you had information.'

'Well yes. We know what we need to defeat the First. But it could be tricky.' Buffy raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. He cleared his throat and looked to Spike. 'We need the Staff of Opis.'

'Right.' Spike drawled. 'So where is it?' He waited for an answer, his eyes flicking between Giles and the others.

'Where is it, Giles?' Buffy asked.

'The Middle East.' Giles said, and Buffy and Spike's eyes both bugged.

'Bloody hell.'

* * *

It had been decided that they would get some rest before attempting to find a way halfway round the world. Buffy was snoozing peacefully next to him, but Spike could not sleep. Wesley was on guard, even though Willow's defences were stable, and Spike knew he'd dozed off half an hour previously. Faith was restrained next to Xander, and neither had shown signs of waking. Willow had placed Faith under the same spell as Xander, so there was no chance of her killing anyone in the room.

He hadn't spoken to Buffy about Connor. He could tell she was hurt and knew she was wondering how. He knew she was also probably wondering if it would happen to them one day. The questions that he had none of the answers for. He had changed, he knew that, but he didn't think it would cover fat babies in the future. Sitting up, he looked down on the sleeping slayer and smiled gently. Then his gaze moved to the window and the fire-lit horizon beyond. He got to his feet and walked to the window, looking out over the destroyed city. There would be a long and difficult journey out of this and he wasn't sure how they were going to go about it. He didn't know if he could defeat the First but knew he would die trying – again – all for the love of The Slayer and her sister.

Dawn – oh he wished he knew she were okay. His gut told him so, that she was becoming someone more powerful than he had ever met. But he wanted to talk to her, to know she was okay. There was nothing like tangible, physical proof. Not for him.

Just then he felt a jolt in his heart, and he sunk to his knees, a pain lancing his chest like none he had felt. Not since the return of his soul. But this was different. The pain continued, spreading through his whole body until it receded as quickly as it had appeared and a calm like no other suffused his being. He looked up, seeing a slight tinge of white around his vision. He could see and feel more than before and didn't question it, knowing it was part of his journey.

He looked over at the unconscious forms of Faith and Xander and moved towards them silently. Bending down, he checked Xander over and then Faith, kneeling back on his haunches as if contemplating them. Slowly, his human features melted into his vampire mask and he leant forward.

Buffy opened her eyes, her body noticing she was bereft of Spike's closeness, and she rolled over, seeing the vampire she loved bending over the sleeping form of Xander. Her face scrunched up in confusion, until she saw Spike's golden eyes and ridges, and the blood on his wrist. Without thinking, she jumped to her feet and pulled Spike away, seeing his blood on Xander's lips but no bite marks on the one eyed carpenter.

She spun round to Spike, sprawled on the floor, who merely regarded her and licked his wrist clean, before nodding toward Xander. Buffy turned back, confused by the whole situation, seeing Xander's eyes slowly open. He looked around, groggy as hell and then sat up, clutching his head as the rage disappeared from his mind. He looked up at Buffy, frow furrowed.

'Buffy?'

* * *

**A/N: That is your lot for the time being as I'm at Download Festival this week, rocking out. Will be taking a notepad if my muse decides to follow me though! Please review, I'd love some feedback on this chapter!**


	15. Say You'll Haunt Me

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR: **The gang has been reunited, and Spike did something to Xander…

* * *

**Say You'll Haunt Me**

* * *

Opening his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the pounding headache. He hadn't had a headache like this since the chip and he couldn't say he missed it that much. The zig zagging lines across his vision and the feeling of his skin being drawn tight and ripped against his temples; not a sensation he'd ever wanted back. He couldn't say for sure what had caused this particular migraine, as the last thing he remembered was looking out the window and thinking about…

Dawn.

Bloody Niblet had hijacked him. Now why in the hell had she done that?

HOW in the hell had she done that?

A voice to his side had him focusing on his current location, and he rolled onto his chest, pushing upwards with his forearms.

'Spike? You okay?'

He shook his head, attempting to clear the fogginess assaulting his senses. Whatever Dawn had done to him, it had left a bucket load of side effects behind. He blinked several times, before looking up in the direction of the voice and finding Buffy watching him warily. He smiled tightly and pulled his arm back, glad to find the wall behind him. He used it as leverage to pull himself to his feet, but quickly lost his footing and decided to stay on his haunches, using the wall as a leaning post. Buffy took a cautious step towards him, her face full of concern.

'Spike?'

'Just peachy, pet. Bit fuzzy round the edges.' He shook his head again. 'What the hell happened?'

'You, erm, you fed Xander your blood. I kinda pushed you away. Sorry about that. You were all gameface and….'

'Still having those pesky trust issues, Slayer?' A cold edge had returned to his voice and Buffy flinched. He thought about standing up again, but his legs were currently the consistency of jello, and a menacing glare didn't mean do much when you couldn't stand on both feet. The Slayer looked guilty now, at least, and his gaze moved from her to Xander, who looked remarkably calm.

'Sorry, Spike, I really am. I just saw you in vamp face and there was blood and my inner slayer freaked. I didn't mean to hurt you. Or your feelings.' She approached him slowly, an apologetic smile on her face. Crouching down in front of him, she shrugged. 'I'm a dope. And I'm really sorry.'

He eyed her carefully for a moment. 'I have to say pet…I still don't understand what exactly happened.'

Buffy paused and looked down her shoulder at the still bewildered Xander. 'You cured Xander. He's not angry anymore. You did something…you don't remember what you did?'

'Not a clue. One minute I was stood at the window, thinking and the next…I've got a feeling it was kid sis.' Spike rubbed his hand over his eyes. 'And she's done a number on me, that's for sure.'

'Dawn?' Buffy exclaimed. 'Dawn did this?'

'I'm fairly certain. I can still kinda sense her.' He shivered. 'I really don't like being invaded like that.'

'She cured Xander! Can she cure everyone?' The Slayer asked, getting slightly overexcited. Her voice was rising, causing the others to wake up slowly. Xander was staring at the pair of them, his interest peaked through mention of Dawn, but he still felt slightly green around the gills. Spike shrugged and then paused, before shaking his head.

'Considering how crap I feel, and how crap Xander probably feels, Dawn probably feels like she's just had a tram dropped on her. So I wouldn't guess so. Maybe she needed Xander for something?' He asked, testing the strength of his legs again. 'I think I can stand up now.' He hoisted himself up with the wall, shaking slightly still. Everyone else in the room, with the exception of a still magically comatose Faith, was now awake and wondering what had occurred whilst they had been asleep. Willow approached carefully, her gaze flickering between the two blondes and her oldest friend.

'What's going on?' The red head asked, her footsteps taking her towards Xander as her curiosity peaked. 'Xan? You okay?'

'Surprisingly enough, I'm fine, if a little grossed out by the taste in my mouth.' He replied, a wry grin on his face. 'Deadboy Junior saved me. Somehow. Or it was Dawn. Ask them.' He waved a hand in the Slayer and vampire's direction. Willow raised both eyebrows in surprise at his words.

'Dawn?' The witch asked and Buffy shrugged. 'This is very confusing.'

'Tell me about it.' Spike said, clutching his head. 'Hope she doesn't decide to do it again.'

'I won't need to.' Dawn's voice came from the other side of the room. Everyone turned to face the voice, finding a smiling Dawn floating about two inches off the ground, her eyes a much different shade than her usual blue; now they were glowing with an almost ethereal green light. Buffy stared at her little sister, and then shook her head.

'Dawn, as glad as I am to see you, floating? Creepy.' The Slayer smiled at her sister and Dawn giggled, before dropping to the floor gracefully and blinking away the green in her eyes. All in one stroke she was once again normal Dawn Summers, pain in the ass sibling. She crossed the room quickly, embracing Buffy tightly. 'I'm glad you're back.' Buffy whispered.

'Me too. But-' Dawn grimaced slightly. 'I can't stay long.'

'You're leaving again?' Willow asked, looking disappointed. 'Why?'

'I'm not quite done.' Dawn said, 'I had to come back and explain a few things, and give you a helping hand. But I've still got…things…to take care of.' She looked sadly at Buffy. 'I'm sorry. I know she tried to explain it, and I wish I could stay here with you, Buffy, I really do, but I have a job to do now, a duty, like you always had.' She looked past her sister. 'And I'm so sorry Spike, if there was another way to do it, I would have but it had to be you. You see, I found out something. My connection to Spike, whilst always frowned upon,' Her gaze drifted to Giles briefly. 'does have an explanation. The monks didn't just make me out of you, Buffy. They knew Spike would protect me too. It's not just Summers blood in my veins.'

Spike's eyes damn near burst out of his head at this revelation, and his headache exploded into a full grown migraine. 'That's how I know. How I sense things from you.'

Dawn nodded. 'Things are changing, and fast. The First took your soul but the process awakened some parts of you that hadn't…woken up before. Your senses are sharper, your connection to Buffy and me, it's stronger. And things will get clearer as you get closer to finding the Staff of Opis. Giles will fill you in about that.'

'Wait, if Spike cured Xander, can't he cure Faith?' Willow asked, motioning to the still unconscious slayer.

'He could. But we don't have time. Faith isn't important here,' Dawn smiled at Willow, 'Spike has the power to cure the infected, but in the long run, it's quicker to find the staff, undo this whole mess in one swoop. To do that, you've got to go to the Middle East. That's where the staff is.'

'Can't we just poof it here?' Buffy asked hopefully. Dawn shook her head. 'No, it's never that easy,' she grumbled.

'Sorry, Buffy. You guys have to go find it.'

'Shall I ring LAX and book tickets?' Giles asked sarcastically. Dawn glared at him, putting her hands on her hips. 'Well, I don't see what other option we have.'

'You have me.' Dawn smiled brightly. 'You, Spike, Buffy and Willow are going. The rest of you need to research how to activate the staff. That might take some work.'

'So you don't have all the answers.' Buffy folded her arms, teasingly.

Dawn poked her tongue out. 'No. I don't. No one does. Well, some do, but they think it's more "fun" to find out for ourselves.'

'Such a sense of whimsy.' Giles muttered, moving closer to Xander, his own wonder at the miracle recovery getting the better of him. Dawn nodded in agreement. 'How on earth did you manage to cure him?'

'It's complicated. But once Spike has the staff and knows how to use it, we can cure everyone and start getting the world back to normal. And we're on a deadline. If The First accomplishes what it wants before we get the staff, or something happens to Spike, we are majorly screwed. So let's get moving.' Dawn clapped her hands together. Spike raised a hand.

'Can I have a moment? I'm still recovering and you're dumping a lot of information on us here, platelet.' He winced as his head throbbed even more. Buffy placed a hand on his shoulder and looked to Dawn.

'As much as I'd love to say let's wait, I don't think we have an option. Sorry, Spike.' Buffy grimaced as he groaned slightly.

'I don't think I've ever heard you apologise so much.' Spike retorted, wobbling slightly as he looked up at Dawn. She smiled sympathetically.

'You ready?'

* * *

Buffy had never seen a vampire be sick. She'd seen Angel when he was ill, but he had never been _sick._ Spike, whilst already feeling particularly dodgy from the mojo Dawn had used on him earlier, had gone through the teleportation without complaint, and when they had landed in the middle of a desert, with not a soul in sight, he'd stayed on his feet.

For about three seconds.

As soon as he'd taken in the night-swamped sand and realised just what had happened, he turned a funny shade of green, landed on his knees in the endless grains and promptly lost the meagre contents of his stomach. And hand in hand with that, his manliness.

Willow had tried not to snigger at the sight of a powerful master vampire retching like a freshman after a pledge party, and Buffy had patted his back soothingly, ignoring his commands to "fuck off and leave me alone Slayer, I'm not a girl", whilst Giles had politely ignored his fellow male and scouted their surroundings. Eventually, the blonde vampire pulled himself together and wiped his mouth, scowling at the witch as he regained his footing.

'You okay?' Buffy asked, removing her comforting hand from his back. His scowl turned on her, and she sighed, knowing it was just male posturing at the display of weakness. 'It's not your fault you know. You've been through the mill today.'

'Today? Try the last century.' His mouth set into a thin line and he passed onto the next conversation. 'So where are we? And where'd Dawn go?'

'I assume back to wherever she has to stay for now. You brought your notes right, Giles?' Buffy asked, stepping towards her Watcher. Giles nodded, his gaze not turning from the landscape before them.

'We're somewhere near the village mentioned in the prophecy.' He rummaged through the battered satchel he'd brought with him. 'There is a village near here...I don't think I wrote the name down. But the river is over there-' He pointed to a thin strip of silver bending through the landscape. 'And it looks like an archaeological excavation is in process down there.' He pointed to another part of the horizon. His eyes moved around, taking in the location they were at. The landscape was mostly desert like, with scattered shacks and farms, trees and bushes. There were no lights and no hint of human life. 'I'd suggest we head to the excavation and hope we don't run into any trouble.'

The witch, Slayer and vampire agreed with him and they began to trudge along, Giles heading the group with Spike trailing behind. After half an hour of walking, and the horizon seeming just as far away as it had, Buffy was feeling morose. Spike hadn't said a word the whole way, which seemed more unnatural than the apocalypse they were facing and she could only imagine the torture he had gone through which had changed him so. He still didn't look one hundred percent and silently, she slowed her pace to walk behind him, keeping a close eye on the two Scoobies up front.

'You okay?' She whispered, and he nodded, thoughtfully chewing the inside of his own cheek. Buffy frowned. 'You don't look it.'

'Goddamn ringing in my ears. Must be left over from the teleportation. Seems to be getting louder.' He sighed, and resumed his silence.

'I don't hear anything. Maybe it's because you're a vamp?'

'Maybe.' He shrugged, his gaze remaining on the floor. Buffy felt nothing but frustration, and had to calm herself. They'd all been through a lot; they were bound to change as people. Although she hoped this change in Spike wasn't permanent. She liked his banter.

She didn't notice Willow and Giles had stopped in front of them until she went straight into the back of her redheaded friend with a loud "oof".

'Willow?' She looked round her friend and saw Giles had stopped, and felt Spike come to a stand still. She felt the tension in the air almost immediately and frowned as she saw the hold up.

In front of the small group, stood a larger collection of about ten soldiers, dressed from head to foot in desert fatigues, guns cocked and aimed at them. Buffy's eyes widened and her heart rate quickened and she let out a expletive that actually made Spike chuckle.

'Oh balls.'

* * *

**A/N; I am so so sorry for the break in updates. Life has been pretty hectic on this end (although I did enjoy the festival!) Am hoping to be back on track with this now my muse has fought its way out of a Jack Daniels filled holiday and the toddler tantrums I've had to deal with the last couple weeks!**


	16. Burn It Down

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR: **The gang has been reunited and now they're on separate missions...

* * *

**BURN IT DOWN**

* * *

Angelus glowered as he looked across the street at the seemingly run down office building, which he knew contained his prey. He was growing impatient, a trait he had tempered over the years, but that was now eating at his thoughts. He wanted the Slayer. He wanted her bastard vampire lover. He wanted all of them, chained and suffering under his hands. Mostly he wanted to make Spike watch as he made sweet little Buffy scream in more ways than he could count.

But that goal seemed so very far away.

He'd spent hours searching the building, looking for a way to work through the wards the witch had left in place. He knew he had no power to match hers, even with his infusion from the First.

The First.

Such a strange entity. So much like his Darla had been, but she would never be her. She may be able to match the cruelty and bloodthirst displayed by his sire, but never could she be the same beautiful killer he had hunted with for decades. Her scent, her style; it was all wrong and every time he laid eyes on her, he was reminded that the only remaining family he had was the blonde in the building opposite and it made him angry.

Angry that his bloodline had been tarnished so.

Angry that Drusilla had been killed. Or so the First said.

Most of all, angry that he knew Spike would not be swayed. Angelus was not stupid; he knew without his soul, Spike was a vicious killer, notorious for his violence. But he was also devoted to the one he loved. And with that being Buffy, Spike would forever be the enemy and would not return to the fledgling Angelus had tortured, trained and moulded into the brutal fighter he had become. He knew that even killing Buffy would not return Spike to his previous ways – it would only make him more dangerous and intent on revenge against whoever hurt her.

Not that it would stop him killing the Slayer. And everyone she held dear.

'You know, brooding and staring at that building won't get you what you want.'

He didn't let on that her voice had made him jump. He'd been so engrossed in his thoughts, _not brooding_, that he hadn't been paying attention. A fledgling mistake. He cursed inwardly before turning to her, taking in the form of his sire, wishing it were actually her. Not that he wasn't enjoying the mimickery.

The First sidled up to him, smiling coyly. She'd changed outfit again, adopting the school girl look that Darla had favoured. She'd loved the taste of fear in a teenaged schoolboy, and Angelus had so wished he had shared those kills with her. Teenagers just hadn't been as horny in the 1800's. You'd have thought differently, with all the repression.

'_Darla._' He breathed, standing up. She smiled.

'They're not in there anyway. Not all of them. Our plans need to be stepped up. I believe they've gone after the staff. If Spike gets it, and figures out how to use it, we won't get what we want. _You_ won't get what you want.'

'I want the Slayer. I want that skinny little sister of hers. And I want them to scream. A lot.' Angelus growled, the news of his prey's departure annoying him greatly. 'How the hell did they get out? I've been watching that building for hours.'

'I'm not sure but the witch is probably involved. I overlooked her once, I will not make the same mistake again.' _Darla_ frowned, looking beyond him and over the street to the building. 'We need to make a move. The wards are weak, the witch didn't think of that. We need to take the ones left in that building. Loss will make them weaker.'

'It doesn't always work that way with Buffy.' Angelus said, remembering incidents in the past. 'Loss may just make her angrier. I want her.'

'What if I told you,' _Darla_'s voice dropped to a low tone and she smiled seductively, running a finger down the silk of Angelus' shirt. 'That Cordelia was in that building.'

A slow smile spread over the dark vampire's face. 'Cordelia?' His eyes met _Darla_'s and he captured her mouth in a deep kiss.

* * *

'Spike!' Buffy grabbed the blonde vampire just before he hit the deck, clutching his head. She forgot instantly about the commandos training their weapons on them, her only concern for the vampire on the floor. He groaned loudly, and she ran her hands over him, at a loss as what to do.

'Is he injured?' The commando at the front of the group asked, his weapon not lowering. Buffy didn't answer him and Giles stepped in.

'Yes. He is ill. We were looking for help.' He kept his hands raised at chest level and tried to appear non-threatening. The men did not appear infected, but he didn't wish to take any chances.

'Looking for help? In the middle of the Iraqi desert? I find that hard to believe.'

'We're journalists.' Willow said suddenly, stepping up beside Giles slowly. 'We were camped out near the city, but our camp was hit by some weird infection and we ran. People were killing each other and fighting. We got scared.' Giles resisted the urge to look at Willow in awe of her careful lies.

'Is he infected?' The commando asked, the distrust still covering his face.

'No. He has epilepsy.' The red head didn't even hesitate. Giles was almost blown away, but kept his composure, nodding in agreement.

'We have to do something!' Buffy said, panic in her voice. She looked up, anguish written across her face. 'Please? Giles? We have to help him.' Spike was writhing on the ground now, strange guttural noises coming from his throat. Giles prayed to the gods that he would not vamp out. Epilepsy was explainable in this state; fangs and ridges would be much harder to talk away. The commandos did not lower their weapons, his eyes assessing each of them.

'Do you have papers?' He asked and Giles shook his head.

'We did not grab anything except the clothes on our backs when we left the camp.'

'What about that?' The commando motioned with the gun to the bag Giles carried. Giles looked down.

'I er...these are documents yes, I don't know which ones. You may search them if you wish.' _You'll probably just think we're crazy._ He slipped the bag over his shoulder. 'We are American and British citizens, sir, we are simply looking for aid.'

'Maybe. But I'll be taking all four of you in and back to our camp.' He took one hand off of his gun and motioned to his men to surround the group. Two of them moved over to Spike and checked him over. The commando watched, his eyes narrow slits under his helmet. Buffy was almost crying, her hands clutching at Spike, who had gone still. The men that were checking him looked up.

'Can't find a pulse, sir.'

'Leave him.' The commando ordered and Buffy's face hardened.

'No. I'm not leaving him. He's not dead.' Giles' eyes widened and he dared a glance at the slayer and vampire on the floor.

'Buffy.' He said and his slayer looked at him with eyes of steel.

'I'm _not_ leaving him Giles. What if the sun comes up? I _won't_ leave him here.' She clenched her fists in the sand, ready to fight off anyone who tried to move her. The soldiers tensed, waiting for a command from their leader. He looked down at the small blonde girl on the floor, quickly assessing her as a non-threat.

'Ma'am, he has no pulse. You would be safer coming with us.'

'No.' Buffy ground out, edging closer to Spike.

'Ma'am, I am taking you and your friends in. You will comply or we will use force.'

Buffy's expression darkened and she stood up, her entire body shaking with anger. 'Just you try it.'

The commando dropped his weapon to look at her clearly. 'Ma'am, you are a hundred pounds of blonde valley girl, from my estimation. I have nine armed men at my back, you are coming with us.'

'Buffy.' Giles said. 'Do I need to remind you that bullets can harm you?'

The commando looked at Giles with a strange look on his face, clearly questioning his statement, not for the correctness of it, but the sheer weirdness of it.

'I'm not going anywhere. He isn't dead. He's a fucking vampire and if I leave him out here, he will burn. He's the only chance we have, Giles, I'm not leaving him here.'

Cover officially blown. Giles' rolled his eyes. Buffy could never sugar coat anything or leave a man behind. He turned back to the commando and waited for the "crazy" talk.

'He's a vampire?' The commando asked, raising an eyebrow. 'Vampires don't get sick.'

The shock covered the faces of Willow, Giles and Buffy like a blanket and Buffy dropped her defensive stance. 'You-you know about vampires?' Willow asked, her hands slowly dropping.

'Yeah. Who do you think the Government calls when we have strange occurences? Hell, we have our fair share of demons out here. Lot of violence, bloodshed and evil. It's a magnet for evil things. But we don't usually help bloodsuckers. Then again, we don't usually find them travelling with humans.'

'Spike is a...unique specimen. He is helping us to locate something. Something that could stop this infection that is spreading.'

The commando nodded. 'We lost contact with head base three days ago. We're a small unit, camped out at an abandoned farm a few clicks from here. There's about twenty of us, none infected. We've been encountering infection all over the area. Thought it was something strange, a plague or whatnot.' He looked around Buffy at the fallen vampire again. 'He's...housebroken yeah? Won't kill any of my men?'

'No he won't.' Buffy said, looking down at him. 'He's a good guy.' She paused for a second. 'Wait do you know an Agent Finn? Er, Riley Finn.'

He thought for a second and then shook his head. 'Not that I recall.'

'Sir?' Another commando spoke up, looking at his superior. 'I know Finn, sir. Was stationed with him for a couple months in basic training. He got shipped out to Sunnydale, California.'

'That's where we know him from! I'm from Sunnydale...or what was Sunnydale.' Buffy said, her gaze brightening for a second. The commando looked at her funny again, filing away a question about that for later.

'Okay. I'll go out on a limb here as you're clearly American citizens. You can come with us. Bring the vamp. But he causes any trouble and I'll put a stake through him quicker than you can say 'boo', got it?' The slayer nodded, and turned to pick up Spike, hoisting him over her shoulder. The commando's mouth dropped open and he filed away another question for later. At this rate he was going to need a pen and paper.

The commandos' lowered their weapons away from the slayer and the group moved off.

* * *

Wesley poured over the book, hunched in the corner of the room. Fred was curled up asleep on the floor next to him and Connor was across the room, twirling a sword expertly. Cordelia sat by the window, looking down over the empty street. LA was quiet now, the fires slowly burning out. Occasionally a fox ran across the street, scavenging for food in the littered streets. She frowned when she spotted movement out of the corner of her eye but couldn't catch it quickly enough. She knew the wards Willow had put in place were strong.

She stood and paced across the room, her gaze floating over the still unconscious Faith. They'd been assured by Willow that the enraged Slayer would not wake up and Cordelia hoped she was right. None of them, except for Connor perhaps, had the strength to take down a slayer, let alone an extremely pissed one.

Stopping back by the window, she chewed her fingernail nervously, feeling something in her bones. Something was wrong. She'd been feeling uneasy since the other four had teleported out. She had no idea how Fred could sleep through this.

Cordelia jumped as Xander came back in the room, crossbow in his possession. He smiled brightly at her, and she returned it, feeling warmth towards her ex. He'd grown so much since she'd last seen him, it was amazing. She wondered briefly how things may have played out between them if she had stayed in Sunnydale, if they hadn't broken up. She knew he'd loved Anya, just like she had loved Angel. Even with the eye patch, he was quite dashing.

'Xander.' She asked, and he moved over to her. 'How...if you don't mind me asking...how did you lose your eye?' He grimaced but more with discomfort than anger.

'Fight with the First. One of it's lackeys did it.' He shrugged. 'I might not be able to judge depth too well anymore, but I've got this smoking hot pirate look going on.' She smiled at him, and he smiled back. 'Don't fret, Cordy. We always get it done right?'

'Not this time.' A voice said from the doorway, causing the occupants of the room to spin round. Angelus stood in the doorway, Bringers around him. They looked newly made, minus the cloaks they had donned in Sunnydale; these looked like ordinary citizens influenced to the First's side. The First was nowhere in sight – as far as they could tell. Angelus leered at them and leant casually against the door frame, folding his arms across his chest. 'It seems your wards have failed.'

'How did you get in?' Wesley said, his voice firm as he got to his feet. Fred awoke suddenly and her eyes went wide with fear as she took in the situation.

'Through the door. Your witch must be far away if your wards are failing.'

'Where's your witch then?' Cordelia spat. 'I thought you were back to hanging with Darla. Or a cheap imitation of her anyway.'

'Oh Cordy, are we jealous?' Angelus asked.

'Of that skank?' Cordelia snorted in disgust. 'Please.'

'I didn't come up here to trade insults.' Angelus pushed off from his perch, assessing his tactics. 'I came up here to kill you. Possibly torture you. Seeing as I can't get to Buffy quite yet, I thought I'd settle for second best.' His gaze rested on Cordy, who scowled at his jibe.

'Try it.' Xander threatened, raising the crossbow. Angelus laughed.

'You think you can hit me, boy? These boys will have you in shreds before you loose the bolt.'

'Don't underestimate me. I'm a mean shot.' Xander's finger tightened on the trigger and he let the bolt fly. It embedded in the wall next to Angelus, who snarled and signalled the Bringers to attack. Connor took out the first three with his sword, and Angelus laughed as the rest swamped the room. Wesley pushed Fred away and towards Faith, as he punched one Bringer away from them.

'You're all going to die up here.' He taunted and moved towards Cordelia, who was being held fast by a Bringer. She struggled and shouted, trying her hardest to get away. Angelus approached her, his head down and at an angle, his eyes appraising her. 'Cordy. I've missed you.' He got closer, inhaling her scent and savouring the fear and anger coming off of her in waves. 'Have you missed me?' He breathed, allowing his cool dead breath to raise goosebumps on her skin. 'I want to show you how much I've missed you.' He raised a hand and Cordy increased her struggles.

'Don't fucking touch me.' She hissed and Angelus smiled, placing a hand on her chest, just above her breast. His cool fingers moved her shirt to the side, caressing her skin and he grinned wickedly, until a hand clamped down on his shoulder.

'She said, don't touch her.' The hand span him round and before Angelus could react, another hand shoved a crossbow bolt through his eye. He roared in anguish and fell backwards, scrambling to get the bolt out of his eye. Blood spurted from the wound and he growled and roared as he removed it, the damage to his eye done. Blood covered his face and clothes and he clawed at his face, the pain anguishing. Getting to his feet, he backed away to the doorway, roaring as he did so.

'You'll fucking pay for this!' He snarled and disappeared into the darkness, the remaining Bringers following him and leaving their fallen brethren in the room with the intact group they had tried to decimate. Xander stood beside Cordelia, his hand covered in blood and splinters from the crossbow bolt he had shoved into Angelus' face, and his body full of adrenaline and satisfaction. Cordelia took his unbloodied hand and smiled at him.

'My hero.' Xander grinned back.

'You have no idea how good that felt.'

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed reading that as much as I enjoyed writing it! Let me know what you think so far!**


	17. Hell And Consequences

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR:** Buffy, Willow, Spike and Giles have hooked up with commandos in the Iraqi desert and Angelus mounted an attack on the rest of the gang, only to have a crossbow bolt shoved through his face by Xander...

* * *

**HELL AND CONSEQUENCES**

* * *

All around him was black. His limbs felt heavy and leaden, and he didn't even bother to try and move straight away. He lay still, feeling exhaustion seep into his bones and wondering what the hell had happen. The last he remembered was feeling rough as dirt and following the Slayer, the watcher and the witch through the desert. He still felt that discomfort, the pulling at his insides as if someone were dragging him along by his intestines. The ringing in his ears had ceased, replaced by the sound of muffled talking.

He wondered where exactly he was, aside from his own subconscious. The last time he'd been inside his own head, he'd had a few visions, but this was just inky blackness, nothing of importance to note. No Dawn, no mimicks of his vampire family. Just...black.

The muffled voices started to clear up and he recognised Buffy's tone. His body felt like it was clearing of whatever was making it feel so heavy, although the tugging nausea remained. The blackness faded as he opened his eyes to find himself in a small room, laying on what felt like a very uncomfortable cot, looking up at a blank wooden ceiling with a light bulb dangling from the centre. Buffy sat next to him on the cot, speaking with someone.

As soon as his eyes opened, she noticed and turned to him, smiling brightly.

'You're awake.'

'Yeh. Looks like.' He said, wincing at the rawness of his throat. 'How long was I out?'

'Only a couple of hours. I...er...gave you some of my blood. Willow was too pooped to heal you, she's been casting non-stop for days.' Spike's eyes widened, and he sat up slowly, looking to the obvious gash on her wrist.

'You shouldn't have done that.' He murmured, looking for the first time to the other occupant in the room. He raised an eyebrow, waiting for an introduction.

'Spike, this is Captain Simon Hall. He's in charge here. Captain Hall, Spike.'

The captain nodded in his direction and Spike eyed him, assessing him carefully. The man looked to be in his early thirties, with sandy brown short hair and tanned skin. Blue eyes studied the vampire in much the same manner as he was being scrutinized. He was dressed in desert army fatigues and a gun leant against the wall next to him. Judging by his body language, he did not consider Buffy the enemy but his rising heart rate indicated that not only did he know that Spike was a vampire, he wasn't entirely trusting of whatever Buffy had told him.

After making a judgement that he could take the man down if needed, Spike swung his legs over the side of the cot and stretched out slowly. The twitch from Captain Hall did not go unnoticed by either vampire or Slayer and Buffy smiled.

'Trust me, he won't hurt you. Spike isn't like other vampires.'

'I hear what you are saying, Miss Summers, but at the same time, I've not come across any demons that we exactly as sociable as you portray this one to be.' Captain Hall was on edge and ready to defend. Spike chuckled.

'I'm not interested in any snacks from you, mate. Not with a belly full of slayer blood.' He wasn't lying. Buffy's blood had recharged him for certain; problem was he wasn't sure how long it would last against the increasing nausea. 'Where's Rupert and Red?' He asked Buffy, ignoring the soldier for now.

'They are resting. Willow was really tired. Like I mentioned already.'

Spike tipped his head to the side, rubbing his ear as if it had water in it. He shook his head once and then growled. Captain Hall frowned, his arm going down to his side and brushing against his weapon. Buffy scowled at the motion and then raised her hand, placing it on Spike's shoulder.

'You okay?' she asked tentatively.

'The ringing in my ears. It's getting stronger again. I think your blood held it off for a bit, but it's just coming back. Feel sick as a dog too.'

'That's odd isn't it? Vamps don't get sick?' Captain Hall asked, his eyes moving quickly between the two blonds.

'Yeah it is odd. But lately, anything is possible.'

'Buffy, I have to go.' Spike ground out.

'Spike, you can't-' She started but he stood, stumbling towards the door. Captain Hall stood to block his way, his hands containing the previously resting gun. The vampire took one look at him and shook his head. Buffy followed close behind, waving her hands at Hall to get him to put the gun down. 'He won't hurt anyone. I don't know what is going on, but I promise you, he will not hurt anyone.'

'You can put him down?' Hall asked, his gun not wavering from his target. Buffy's mouth set into a thin line, and she pushed past the captain with a gruff reply.

'If I have to.'

Spike stumbled out of the building and into the perpetual darkness of the desert. The outbuildings were mostly dark, the odd light here and there. Buffy thought about finding Giles but the rate Spike was moving, she could lose him quite quickly in the rough terrain. As it was, she was struggling to keep up with the blonde vampire and she thanked the Powers for his bleached hair which was a very effective beacon in the darkness.

As they moved across the sand, Buffy lamented the loss of her Scythe. Not that it was really lost. She'd hidden it in the Hyperion before they'd gone to find Spike and hadn't even thought about it until now. She had a small hunting knife hidden away in her ankle sheath, and she knew that Spike relied on fists and fangs. She didn't even think she'd brought a stake. Pfft, Buffy The Vampire Slayer is not in possession of a stake. A bad omen if there ever was one.

She heard noises and wondered for a moment if Captain Hall had sent a squad after them. She hoped he hadn't. She wasn't a massive fan of the army, but Hall and his rag tag group of American and British soldiers seemed okay, for survivors stuck in the middle of a desert. They happily shared their provisions and made them feel welcome, even with a demon in their midst. It was lucky for her that they knew about demons and vamps, and that a couple of them had even known what a Slayer was. Otherwise the situation could have been a lot stickier.

Spike stumbled and groaned in the darkness. 'Buffy.' She rushed to catch up with him, her hands going to his shoulders. He pushed them off and pointed in front of himself. 'I'm fine. But we've got company. And it's not soldiers.' Buffy looked up ahead, cursing the crappiness of her Slayer vision. You'd have thought with her being the Slayer and fighting in the darkness, that the Powers would have given her some nice advanced night vision like Spike possessed.

After a few moments of watching the horizon, she saw five or six blurry red shapes lumbering towards them. As they got closer, she realised they were actually moving pretty fast and there was actually seven separate shapes, all demons. They were at least six feet tall, and covered in scales, a metallic red shimmer to their skins. The distance closed between them, and Spike pulled himself up, game face firmly in place. She saw the way he pushed the pain aside to focus on the coming fight and a part of her welled up in awe at the strength he displayed. She knew she couldn't handle all seven demons by herself. Even with the two of them, the odds were fairly bad, but something was different about the Spike they had dragged away from the First. Something inside him had changed on some level, and when this was all over, she fully intended on exploring the changes in both of them.

The growls of the demons drew her back to the present and she fell into a defensive stance.

'You got a plan for this?' Buffy asked, not letting her gaze move away from the oncoming demons.

'Kill them.' Spike said, his tone even and crisp, not a hint of the pain he'd been facing two seconds before. His eye twitched, the only break in his stoic façade. Side by side, the vampire and slayer waited for their foes to fall upon them.

* * *

Xander pushed the broken door back up against the wall, grimacing at the weight of it. He turned away, knowing it was a pointless endeavour as anything could get through the door now that Willow's wards had fallen. He knew Willow hadn't known that would happen, or she would have put something in place to protect them. As it was, he didn't think Angelus would come rushing back after he'd pushed that bolt through his face. A slow grin spread across his face as he remembered the extreme satisfaction he'd got from that. He'd hated Angel for years, and whilst it had mellowed, seeing him up against Cordelia in such a manner had roused his teenaged hatred once more and he'd lost control. Whilst logically, he knew he should have gone for the kill, he hadn't been thinking clearly and had gone for the hurt rather than the kill.

At least he'd saved Cordy.

He wondered where Angelus was hiding now. Probably licking his wounds.

The image of Angelus trying to lick his own face promptly sent Xander into a fit of giggles as he ascended the stairs back to the offices they had holed up in. Cordelia was training with Connor, and Wesley had his nose buried in yet another book, scribbling furiously on a notepad at his side. Fred stood at the window, her brow furrowed.

'Do you think the sun will ever come back up?' Fred asked.

'In all likelyhood, the sun has come up. It's mystical darkness. There's not even any stars.' Wesley muttered from his spot on the floor. Fred looked at him, frowning deeply.

'I miss daylight.' She whispered, hugging herself tightly.

'We all do.' Xander said, coming to stand next to her. 'There's a lot of things I miss.' A stab of pain struck him through the heart as he thought of Anya, and he squashed it down, focusing on comforting the frightened Texan. She put on a good show of being strong, but there was only so much one person could endure before they broke.

'I've never seen Angel...I mean, I have seen Angelus and he's a creep. But this seems worse somehow?' She said, her eyes not leaving the window and its darkened view.

'It's because it's unlikely he will make it out of this alive.' Cordelia interjected. 'As much as I would like to campaign for the opposite, there is a very, very slim chance we could bring him back from this.' Sadness enveloped her voice and Xander felt for her. In a way, she'd lost a loved one every inch as much as he had. Difference was, hers was still walking around and killing people. He didn't think he could deal with that if it was Anya.

'His soul is destroyed.' Wesley said again, sitting up and looking towards Cordelia sadly. 'There is no getting Angel back this time.'

'Thought as much.' Cordelia whispered, and turned away, ignoring Connor as he waited for her to start sparring with him again. He watched her leave to go into the restroom, his face full of regret. Wesley stood up as she shut the door, picking up his notes, a serious expression on his face.

'Found anything?' Xander asked, desperate to break the difficult tension in the room. Wesley nodded, his mouth a grim line.

'I found one thing that could help them. As long as they can get back here. With the phones, internet and everything even remotely electrical down, we don't be able to communicate with them.' Wesley pinched the bridge of his nose.

'We could hunt down some pigeons?' Xander offered, and the young Englishman looked at him with a unamused expression.

'I found one passage in a Greek book of prophetic verse that showed a definite connection to Spike and the staff-

_"__The staff shall consume the champion and within him shall lie the power to drive the evil back"'_

'That sure sounds like our prophecy.' Fred said quietly. Xander raised his hand gingerly and chewed his lip.

'I have a question.' All eyes in the room went to him. 'How exactly will the staff _consume_ Spike?'

'I guess that's what we'll have to figure out.'

* * *

The demons were infected. Buffy wouldn't have been able to tell the difference, as they looked like regular carnage-causing demons to her. As they had been making their approach, Spike casually mentioned that they were Gadluark demons, indigenous to the Middle East, and usually a pale green colour. They only turned red when threatened. He'd never seen them with the foot long talons either. He hadn't had a chance to explain further, as they had fallen upon the slayer and vampire and the fight had begun.

One thing Buffy could say she definitely hated about the rage, was that it didn't promote fair fighting. She and Spike were attempting to stay back to back, but with seven enemies to fight and only a little hunting knife to fight with, it was becoming harder. At this point, she was changing her mind about Captain Hall following them, thinking that guns would probably be very helpful. Whilst the demon's skin looked hard and scaly, it was in fact quite delicate and the demons were easily injured but they didn't seem entirely phased, even when she tore one's arm clean off and began to batter him round the head with it.

As the fight trickled on, she realised that Captain Hall was not going to miraculously appear. Spike had ripped apart three of the Gadluark demons and she had taken down two. But she could see Spike tiring, not being at peak form anyway, and she could feel her own muscles protesting the lack of rest in the last few days. Or was it weeks? She was losing track without the sun.

Another demon fell, and as it did, Spike followed it. He collapsed in the dirt, clutching his head. He'd held back the pain as long as he could, but as he retched up the blood he'd taken from her earlier, Buffy panicked. A demon loomed over her, and she spun, slitting it's throat. It gurgled and hit the deck, thick dark fluid bubbling from the wound. She looked around, suddenly realising that they'd killed all the demons. Spike was writhing on the floor, oblivious to their victory.

'Spike!' She was at his side in a instant, wiping her knife on her trousers and using it to slit her wrist. She held the bleeding vein to the vampire's mouth, encouraging him to drink, no thought for her own safety. She _needed_ him to be okay. After losing him once, she didn't think she could go through it again.

He drank slowly, his hands coming up to grasp her wrist tightly. His tongue ran gently over the cut, sealing it and a moan broke unbidden from her throat as the sensations he was causing rippled over her skin. He dropped her arm, pulling her against his body and kissing her deeply, running his hands down her back. For long moments they stayed like that, revelling in the embrace they'd been denied.

'Buffy.' He whispered her name like a reverent prayer. It had always thrilled her, the way he uttered her given name.

'Spike?' She broke the kiss, pulling away slightly so she could see his face. He was no longer in game face and his eyes looked clearer than they had in days.

'Yeah, pet?' He asked, a lazy smile on his face.

'You okay?'

Spike nodded. 'Better now. But we have to go.'

'Go where?' She asked, feeling flushed from the fight and kissage.

'The ringing and sickness. It was pulling me towards that quarry Rupert pointed out earlier. We're almost there, look.' He pointed to a sign in the distance, to the left of where the demons had come from. 'I'm betting our prize is down there somewhere.' He stood, pulling Buffy to her feet. 'Sooner we get it, sooner we can get this all fixed and the sooner I can spend some time making you feel like you're made of jello.' Buffy blushed as he tugged on her hand. 'Come on, Slayer., no time like the present.'

She let him pull her to the side of the quarry. She looked down over the edge, feeling a pang in her heart at the sight of the crater. She missed Sunnydale. She knew she could never go back, but they had lost so much there. It would always hurt her deeply to think about it. Spike, on the other hand, paid it no mind. He'd never formed attachments to places, only people, and right now, his attachment to her was spurring him on. He dropped down to a ledge just below the edge of the quarry, and began to climb down.

'Spike, why don't we just walk down to the ramp?' Buffy asked, pointing at the ramp the other side of the big hole.

'Because that would take too long and I'm as impatient as hell.' He called back, continuing on his journey down the very steep slope. Buffy rolled her eyes and followed, making her way down the quarry with ease. Ten minutes later, both blonds hit the floor of the quarry and looked around. Buffy frowned.

'Isn't there supposed to be lakes in quarrys?'

'They don't mine this quarry any more. It's an archaeological dig. They prolly drained it to make life a bit easier. Also, desert.' He pointed up, grinning at her. He twitched, his eyes going wide. 'Over there.' He pointed to a trench that had been dug by an overhanging piece of rock. His whole body was also vibrating with energy and Buffy was finding it quite invigorating. She hadn't felt this wound up in a while. Pity they had a world to save.

He sprinted to the trench and knelt down, beginning to scrape away the dirt with his hands. Buffy yelped as she knelt beside him and saw his hands smoking, but the vampire just grimaced and pushed through the pain, pawing the dirt behind him. Buffy looked worried and tried to help but the earth scorched her hands too and Spike pushed her away. 'Don't. I can handle this.' She watched, cradling her slightly burnt hands, her eyes wide as the skin peeled away from his. The smell was making her feel a little ill and she hoped he found what he was looking for before his hands completely disintegrated.

A few more moments of frantic digging and he was a foot down. Reaching into the hole he had dug, his burning fingers closed around something and he tugged, pulling free the object he had been seeking. The ground stopped sizzling with his fingers and Buffy watched as he held up what he had pulled from the ground.

It was long, similar to a quarterstaff, but flat on one edge and carved with ornate symbols Buffy couldn't place. Not that she could try. Research – not Buffy's forte. She watched Spike as he brushed the last bits of dirt from the staff, his hands running over its surface and dipping into the carvings. He held it out straight in front of him and smiled.

'I think this is just what we were looking for.'


	18. Despair Factor

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR:** Spike has the staff, now they just have to find a way out of the desert and figure out how to use the staff along the way.

**A/N:** Thank you so much for all the reviews so far!

* * *

**Despair Factor**

* * *

Buffy looked over the desert and tapped her foot impatiently. It had been nearly an hour since Spike had found his prize and they'd climbed out of the quarry together. He'd collapsed in the dust soon after, cradling the long staff gingerly, as if it might burn his fingers. Buffy could feel the slight left over tingle from the acidic earth she had touched. _That_ had been an interesting and unpleasant experience that she never wished to repeat, and she made a mental note to ask Giles what in the hell had caused it. She was used to burning the opposition, not getting burnt herself.

Spike's hands were fully healed from the burns now, and they ran over the surface of the staff almost reverently, tracing the patterns and intricate designs in the wood. She'd been curious, but something was making her want to avoid touching it. Like it was his and his alone to wield. She could feel the crackle in the air around them, and the energy itself seemed to come from the staff Spike held. He didn't seem to notice, or he just didn't comment; he hadn't spoken a word since they climbed out.

Which was very un-Spike-like.

She tapped her foot impatiently and cleared her throat, before giving up with the subtle hints and dropped to her knees in front of him. He didn't register the movement, so she went against her better judgement and reached out a hand, her skin coming into contact with his cold hand

- _The sun was brilliant in the yard, glistening off the dew on the neatly mowed lawn. A swing set moved softly in the breeze and a football lay in the freshly turned flowerbed. She smiled and sighed as a ruckus from the house behind her, distracted her attention, and two small blonde children came running out, the smallest of the two almost taking her out in the process. She shouted something at them in a good natured tone, her words muffled and indistinguishable. The children carried on running, down the path and past the neat little garden, their school bags bouncing on their backs as she waved them off. Strong, warm arms encircled her waist, and a man's voice rumbled in her ear - _

Buffy blinked and pulled her hand away, seeing that Spike had looked up at her, his blue eyes brighter than usual. She blinked again and shook her head, wondering what she had just seen.

'What was that?' She asked, her voice soft and bewildered. Spike frowned and seemed to pull himself away from his quiet reverie.

'What was what, pet?'

He hadn't seen it. Maybe she was hallucinating. Didn't deserts do that to you? She stood up, looking back over the landscape in the direction the commandos were camped in. 'We really should get back, Spike. We need to find a way back to L.A. And we need to figure out what your nifty new gadget does.'

'It's definitely interesting.' He held the staff up, staring at it again, before Buffy cleared her throat once more and he nodded. 'Right then. Let's work on an escape plan, yeh?' He pulled himself to his feet and waited for her to take the lead. She shook her head and moved off in the direction they had come from, heading past the group of demons they had slaughtered. Spike glanced round at the remains and frowned. 'I didn't think this thing affected the demons.'

'Clearly it's getting worse.' The Slayer muttered, keeping up her pace. Spike jogged to catch up, clutching the staff tightly in one hand. He could feel the energy pulsing from it and spreading through his entire self. If this was what the thing felt inactive, he wondered what kind of a blast he was in for when they figured out how to make it work.

Buffy wasn't paying much attention to the vampire trailing behind her. Her mind was on the flash she had seen when she'd touched him, the scene she'd once thought was her happy, normal future. The scene she'd given up on long ago. Was it even hers? Was it a hallucination? Or was it a glimpse of her future?

A future in the sunshine. With children and a white picket fence. Safe. Normal.

Without Spike.

He couldn't have children. He couldn't walk in the sunshine, or play happy families in suburbia. He was destined for the dark, to always walk amongst the living, but to never be _part_ of them.

So the question for her wasn't if the vision was real; if it was, did she truly want it without him by her side?

* * *

'I don't think we should stay here.' Fred murmured, not looking up from her book. Wesley looked over at her from his position on the floor; he'd returned to scribbling notes about the prophecy. Xander and Cordelia had separate posts keeping lookout, whilst Connor had gone down to keep checking the perimeter of the building after Angelus' previous invasion. Fred had felt more and more nervous by the minute after the vampire had gotten in and terrorised them.

'There's not an awful abundance of safe places in this town anymore.' Xander said, his concentration on the street outside.

'Angelus knows we're here though.' Fred looked up, her pale face full of fright.

'He'll find us wherever we go.' Wesley replied, his pencil scribbling across the paper furiously. 'And at this moment, he is probably licking his wounds. So we should be left alone for the time being. We have to focus on finding out as much as we can about the staff and its uses.'

'We're going round in circles with this. And if we don't get Willow back soon, Faith will wake up and kill us just as dead as Angel will.' The timid scientist threw out.

'He's not Angel. He's Angelus.' Cordelia spoke quietly from the opposite side of the room. 'And Wes is right. Running about all over the city will just get us deader.' She sighed heavily. 'We'll have to wait for the others.'

Fred grimaced and looked back down to her book. She hadn't found anything new for hours now and she was getting pretty fed up. Research was fun, but she was better with the scientific side of things. And this problem had no scientific solution. It was just books, myths, legends and words. Lots of long and dusty words.

Gah.

Sometimes she missed her cave.

'I may have found something.' Wesley chirped up, getting everyone's attention. A few seconds passed, before an irritated Cordelia prompted him with a very stroppy sounding "Well?". Wesley smiled sheepishly and shook his. 'I was wrong. Sorry.'

A chorus of tuts echoed through the room and Fred went back to her own book.

This was getting them nowhere.

* * *

Angelus paced the room with a growl. He had a bandage across his face, over the eye that Xander had mangled and it had put him in the mood for the young man's blood. _Darla_ sat across the room from him, a mild look of amusement on her face at the dark vampire's predicament.

'I want to rip his entrails out. Slowly. Unravelling them. Bit by bit to make him scream all the more. And I'll make him watch while I defile that snotty little cheerleader. And all of them. Then I'll rip his other eye out.' He roared and punched a wall, causing _Darla_ to giggle. He turned on her, snarling. 'What's so fucking funny?'

'You, lover. You could just plot normal revenge but you're throwing a tantrum like a child. Won't grow your eye back will it?' She raised an eyebrow as he flipped her off. 'Tut tut, Angelus, I raised you better than that.'

'You didn't raise me.' He spat.

'Maybe not physically. But I am, technically, the source of all evil. So I did, in a way.' She smiled sweetly and stood, walking over to him. 'I do love a rough, rugged boy. And this injury won't hold you back. You can still tear and bash like a very bad boy,' she purred, running her hand down his bare chest, and he grinned, grabbing her wrist. He pulled her into a searing kiss, growling again in protest as she pulled away too soon. 'Now, now, Angelus. We have other issues to be resolved.'

'Can't it wait?' He asked and she shook her head.

'No it can't. Spike has the staff. We're not in a position to put him down, although I could send some friends to...stall him.' She nicked Angelus' chest with a nail, watching blood well up in fascination. 'He won't know how to use it. So we have to kill the others to stop him finding out how to. The cheerleader, the boy, the Watcher, your son – they all need to die.'

'Not a problem. Maybe a few more Bringers this time...' _Darla_ cut him off.

'No. Bringers won't do it. They aren't afraid to kill them. I have a better plan. But for now, I have something else.' She smiled brightly, her hands exploring him deftly. 'I need to infuse you with my essence. I had to do it when I was incorporeal to allow my right hand to serve as my...messenger. But now I am corporeal, it serves a whole different purpose. I can give you some of my power, and for a short time, you will be indestructible.'

Angelus' one good eye brightened and a slow smiled spread over his face.

'Indestructible? I like the sound of that.'

* * *

'Buffy!' Willow yelped, running across the dark courtyard to her friend. 'You're okay! And Spike! You're alive...well, undead...you know what I mean. Captain Hall said you ran out of here like hell was on your ass.' She blushed. 'His words not mine.' She embraced Buffy and then caught sight of the staff Spike carried. The witch gasped and stepped back, her eyes glued to the carved wood the vampire held. 'You found it.'

'Yep. In some nice burn-your-flesh-off type earth.' Buffy grinned wryly. She decided to make no mention of her "vision" if that was even what it had been. There was no point worrying about that now; she'd leave it until after they'd saved the world. She looked towards the buildings behind Willow, seeing several of the army guys, but no Giles in sight. 'Giles is?'

Willow dragged her eyes away from the staff and waved a hand. 'Oh he's going through his notes again, seeing if there's anything he missed. He's a bit worried about getting us home.'

'Yeah, I would be. We can't exactly jump on a plane and fly home.' Spike chuckled, his eyes going to the nervous soldiers stationed at the doorways around them. 'I assume he is no closer to a solution than he was when we got here.'

'I don't think so.' The witch responded. 'I wish I could teleport us but...I haven't got the power right now. I just can't do it, not without Dawn's help and something tells me that she is not available right now.'

'You yelled for her didn't you?' Buffy asked, a smile spreading across her face. Willow looked bashful.

'I did. I got told off for making noise. Could attract infected demon or people.'

'Bad Red.' Spike tutted, and the witch glared at him.

'I've got enough juice to turn you into a toad mister, world-savage or not.' Willow smiled, her voice teasing. 'Come on, we'll go check on Giles.' She turned away and headed toward the main building, Buffy and Spike following close behind. Giles had situated himself at a battered old kitchen table, and he was accompanied by Captain Hall. The two men were discussing possible methods of returning to America, none of which were remotely feasible, as the trio entered. Willow took a step to the side of Giles, leaning against the table and casting her eyes across the notes. Buffy leant against the far wall, trying to focus her mind on the problem at hand. Spike entered last, ignoring the worried glances from the soldiers he passed and Captain Hall himself. The captain looked towards Buffy, smiling slightly.

'Couple of my guys found the demons you took out. They came back once it became glaringly obvious you could take care of yourselves.'

Buffy made to reply, but Giles interrupted her. 'Good Lord, Spike, is that the staff?' The vampire nodded, moving round closer to the Watcher. 'You found it! Thank god. May I?' He held out a hand tentatively. Spike hesitated, and then held out the staff, passing it across the table, his arm brushing against Willow as he did so. The witch gasped, grabbing Buffy's attention, and a second later, she stumbled backwards into the counter. Her hand went to her forehead and she groaned.

'Willow?' The Slayer asked, moving forward.

The redhead shook her head and looked up, and Buffy drew a sharp breath. Willow's eyes were flooded black for a moment before she returned to herself.

'Wowza.' She whispered. 'That was...intense.'

'What was?' Spike and Giles looked at her in confusion.

'The staff...when Spike brushed against me. I dunno how to describe it. It was like giving a Red Bull to a really tired person, I just feel like my magic has come roaring back. More so.' The Watcher looked concerned and Willow saw it. 'No, it's okay Giles, I know how to ground myself. This isn't borrowed magic, it's mine, it's just...rejuvenated. I think...I think maybe I can get us home.'

* * *

Xander frowned. He'd been watching the city for hours now – to the point that his back was hurting, his feet were burning and his eye was stinging from lack of rest. But now, he had no time to think of those things. A noise had started in the city, and he didn't like the sound of it. He waited, unwilling to alert the others until he knew what it was. They had decided to get some rest due to the lack of information gained from the ancient texts. He had offered to take first watch whilst the others slept.

Footsteps up the stairs got his attention and he swung round, aiming the crossbow at the door, which promptly flew open revealing a dishevelled Connor with a green demon in tow.

'This is Lorne.' Connor said, motioning to the demon. 'I'm not sure you're met.'

Xander shrugged. 'Probably. Seen a lot of things these past few days.'

'Hello, sweetcheeks. If it were any other day, I'd make a comment about your gorgeous colouring and the wonderful pirate look but we just don't have time.' The demon didn't seem to even breath between sentences. Xander briefly wondered if he'd turn blue if he choked him. 'Angelcakes is coming. And he is pissed. And he has an army.'

'Bringers?' Xander asked.

'No. Humans. Infected humans. The First is starting to control them.' Connor butted in. 'Lorne was hiding out at his old club but the Sanctuary spell failed and he came here.'

'How long do we have?' Xander asked, just as the front window smashed and a firey bottle landed in the middle of the room. Everyone woke up immediately and Xander threw his coat over the flames, stamping on them and stopping them from spreading. He said the rest of the frightened faces in the room and looked back to Lorne.

'Not long huh?'

* * *

**Please review!**


	19. Eye Of The Storm

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR:** The staff has been found, and Willow thinks she can get them back home - but LA may not be the safest place for them now.

**A/N:** Thank you so much for all the reviews so far!

* * *

**EYE OF THE STORM**

* * *

It started as a dull roar. Then the building shook once. Twice. The windows shattered. The roar became louder. The group that had been sheltering in the abandoned office block backed up to the far wall, away from the broken glass. Fred gripped Wesley's arm with her good hand, the former watcher held onto her and his satchel, into which he had hurriedly stuffed all the books and notes of importance. Xander stood with Cordelia, her eyes wide with both fright and determination. Connor stood with Lorne, the demon looking every inch as frightened as a green being could. He was never a fighter and this was a fight he could not avoid. Faith remained unconscious on the floor as the dull roar increased.

Hesitating slightly, Connor stepped forward, creeping to the window to look out. Smoke billowed across his gaze, but as it cleared, the street below was revealed to him. Angelus stood at the forefront of a massive raging mob, all rage fuelled humans, with demons scattered amongst them. His keen eyesight picked out the details; the blackened eyes and blood covered skin, the weapons they carried. He spotted Gunn near to Angelus, the black man's head crusted over with blood and gore, from his own wounds and probably others.

His eyes went back to his "father", the once souled vampire. He stood apart from the others, flexing his fists and grinning maniacally. He had his vamp face to the fore but his eyes were black like the others and it made his demon look more terrifying than normal.

But Connor wasn't afraid. Even when he hadn't known who he was, he'd known there was a greater purpose for his life. He was here to fight evil and if it meant killing his father, he would not hesitate. He stepped back from the window, knowing there was no point in hiding - their location was common knowledge. Looking back to the others, he spoke firmly.

'We have a choice. Stay in here and bottleneck the lot of them but it also means being trapped with no escape. Or we go out and face them down. It's looking like certain death either way.' He waited for a response as the information settled into each person's mind.

'I vote we go outside.' Xander said, quietly but sternly. 'I've never been one to hide in the corner. That's Wesley's forte.' He glanced over at the Englishman, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. Wesley nodded, his own tight smile gracing his facial features.

'Be that as it may, I came out of the corner a long time ago, Xander. And I'm fully prepared to go down fighting. However, I believe Fred and Cordelia should be encouraged to excuse themselves from the battle.'

'No.' Cordelia exclaimed. 'I'm fighting. That bastard killed those girls, and has killed others. I'm not going to stand by and let Angelus scare me into submission.' Her heart was aching, knowing she'd lost Angel forever. But she wasn't going to run from his alter ego.

'I'll take Fred up to the roof and barricade us away. It's the only thing I can think of. Running isn't much of an option, they'll catch us.' Lorne didn't mention that he was not one to actively involve himself in battle. Fred looked to the demon sharply.

'I can fight.' She insisted. Wesley turned to her, holding her by the shoulders as he looked into her big brown eyes.

'No, you can't, Fred, your wrist is still badly damaged.' He squeezed his eyes shut briefly. 'I can't watch you die.' The air seemed to be sucked out of the room as she considered his words. Several moments of silence passed as she stared into his eyes and then she moved, balancing on tiptoes to place a soft kiss against his lips. She pulled back, smiling shyly.

'Okay. I'll go with Lorne. On one condition.' Wesley nodded, enraptured by her and almost forgetting everyone else present. 'Please don't die.'

His eyes widened slightly and he nodded, brushing away the tears that gathered in her eyes. He turned to Lorne, and an unspoken promise passed between them as the demon took Fred into his arms and led her away to the roof. Connor passed him a sword as he walked past and the demon accepted it tentatively, his experience with weapons not massively extensive, but knowing if something got through, he'd be grateful for the pointy possession.

Wesley watched them until they disappeared up the stairs, his eyes hooded. Xander clapped a hand on his shoulder.

'You'll see her when we're done.'

'How can you be so optimistic?' The Brit asked. Xander shrugged.

'I've come out the other side of this situation too many times I guess.' He grinned widely and picked up another weapon, looking round the small group. 'What's say we go kick Angel's ass?'

* * *

'So we can go home?' Buffy asked, her eyes brighter than Giles had seen her in weeks.

'Looks like.' Willow grinned. 'I may have to meditate a little first, make sure I'm not going to smoosh us in some inter dimensional portal or whatnot.'

'That sounds like a good idea. No smooshing. Not after everything.' Buffy smiled, allowing herself to feel hope for the first time. Now they had the staff, they had a chance of beating this thing back to where it came. She looked over at Spike, who had not moved since they had returned to the camp, his hands still clutching the staff, his eyes studying the inscribing on it intently. Giles had recognised part of the language on it, but his notes held nothing to signify how they activated the power within. Spike had not said anything, and nothing on his face betrayed his thoughts to the Slayer.

She approached him gently, her hands covering his as he held the weapon and a jolt of power went through her. She jumped back, her eyes wide as the room melted from around her.

_She was made from you. From both of you. _A voice spoke from the darkness and she looked around.

'Giles? Willow?' She asked, hearing nothing in return. 'Spike?'

_The power used to create the human shell was forged from the strength in you and the Champion. Her powers are linked to yours. Within you lies the strength to overcome and fight back the darkness._ Buffy blinked, trying to see where she was but the inky blackness only surrounded her further. _Use that strength. It is within you to fight the vessel and destroy him._

The room zapped back into existence without warning and Buffy fell to her knees gasping. Spike stood, concern flooding his gaze as he knelt down before her. Willow and Giles were at her side in an instant.

'Buffy.' Spike said, his voice low and clear. 'You heard it too.'

'Yes.' She gasped, looking up at him. 'It was talking about Dawn.'

'What about Dawn?' Giles asked, looking between the two blondes with concern. 'What did you hear?'

'A voice. It told us that Dawn was created from...' The Slayer looked up at Spike. 'From us. Dawn was made from us. We're linked.' She clambered to her feet, using Spike for leverage. He looked from her to the staff. Buffy looked at him intently for a few moments before looking at Willow, her eyes holding nothing but the steel gaze of the Slayer. 'We have to get back.'

The witch nodded, her understanding of the situation clearer than ever. 'On it.'

* * *

Xander took the first step out onto the street from the building, the other behind him. Each of them held a weapon, poised and ready for the attack. Angelus surveyed them with malice in his blackened eyes, his grin wider. He let out a laughter than sent chills down the former carpenter's spine.

'This is all the Slayer has to offer. I assume she hasn't returned from wherever her brat sister sent her?'

'He knows about Dawn.' Wesley muttered, his stance faltering.

'Oh, I know more than you, Wes. I know this isn't a fight you're going to win.' He flashed razor sharp fangs at them. 'I have an army. You have a couple of pathetic humans with pointy sticks. And hell, I even have one of yours fighting for me.' He motioned to Gunn, who stood at the front of the gathered infected, panting heavily, his black eyes imbued with evil none of them had ever encountered. 'We're going to rip you apart. And enjoy every second of it.'

'Where's your bitch then?' Cordelia shouted. 'She leave you again?'

Angelus didn't flinch. 'Oh, Cordy. Just because you never got me between your luscious thighs.' He grinned even wider, his face almost splitting in a grotesque mockery. 'But there's still time, _lover_.' He turned to his "army", seemingly dismissing the conversation. 'Rip them apart. Except her. I want her alive.'

A roar came from the crowd and several infected rushed forward, weapons bared and the small group on the steps of the rundown office building prepared themselves for the fight. Xander ran towards his first opponent, taking him down with a swipe of the sword he held. He could not allow himself to remember that these people were essentially human - it was kill or be killed in the world that the First had forged.

Wesley and Connor followed behind, the latter noticing that Angelus stayed out of the fight. None of the infected let them even get close and there seemed to be an endless supply of raging humans and demons to keep them occupied.

The Firsts' consort watched with glee as the infected fought against the humans. He'd expected them to fall quickly, but wasn't incredibly bothered either way, as he knew they would die eventually. He had thousands at his disposal. And their deaths would be beneficial to the emotional devastation of the Slayer when she returned.

A loud screech caught his attention and he looked back to the doors of the office building. The other slayer. The witch's magic had worn off and Faith stood, angered and infected but not controlled like the others. Her gaze zeroed in on the vampire and he snarled, knowing she would direct her anger at him. She reached out and ripped a slice of wood from the door frame beside her, running at Angel with the speed only a Slayer could muster.

He dodged her first attack easily, but did not see the foot she span out at him with, sending him to the floor. He spat black blood from his mouth and glared at her with those black souless pools, getting back to his feet. 'Faith...here, I thought we could be friends.'

'Shut the fuck up.' Faith levelled her stake and went for the kill.

* * *

Wesley glanced over at Faith's scream and his eyes went wide. He knew she was still infected, but as long as she fought against Angelus, he wasn't going to complain. He turned back to his own opponent and hit him hard with the baseball bat in his hand, forgoing the sword and not wanting to kill humans. He could not overlook their physical state as easily as he thought. The man's body fell to the ground and revealed Gunn stood behind him, grinning maniacally.

'Gunn.' Wesley paused, shocked at what his former friend had become.

'Hey Wes.' The man's voice was the same, but his tone had become mocking and evil seeped from his every pore. Wesley shuddered inside, unwilling to show weakness. 'Where's Fred?' Wesley froze, his hands tightening around both his weapons. 'You hidden her away? Protecting her again?'

Wesley raised his chin and looked Gunn dead in the eyes. 'We'll bring you back from this, Gunn.'

'Don't make promises you can't keep, English.' Gunn raised the crow bar he held. 'And you can't keep your word when you're dead.'

He struck out, the crow bar colliding with the bat with a sharp metallic noise, and the bat fell from Wesley's grasp. Gunn followed it up with a punch to the side of the head, sending Wesley spinning round to the floor with a grunt of pain. The black man stood over his fallen friend, the grin on his face never faltering, when a crossbow bolt pierced his shoulder. He looked up and saw a figure on the roof of the office block, a crossbow held aloft. He smiled, pulling the bolt from his shoulder and waving cheerfully at his assailant.

Wesley saw his opportunity and stood, bringing the sword up. Gunn grunted hard as the sword made contact and looked down, his hands clasping the metal protruding from his gut. Blood spilled out over his hands, turning from black to red. The darkness bled from his eyes and he reached out, grasping Wesley's shoulder as he returned to himself in his final moments. Wesley's mouth hung open, his eyes glistening with tears for what he had done.

Gunn smiled, pulling the sword from his body and falling to his knees as his friend fell with him. He tumbled forward, only for Wesley to catch him. His head lolled to the side on the former Watcher's shoulder and his final breaths became ragged and harsh.

'Thank you, Wes.'

And the breaths stopped.

* * *

Faith hit out with everything she had, letting the rage that infused her system power her punches and she was satisfied to feel Angelus' rib crack underneath the force of her fist. He gasped and kicked out, sending her to the floor. She jumped back up immediately, wiping blood from her chin.

'You look tired, Angel. Need a break?' The vampire snarled, swiping at her with his hands and she jumped back, aiming a spinning kick to her opponents head.

A loud crack split the air and Faith lost her concentration for a second. Angelus grabbed her foot and threw her into the air, slamming her down hard to the ground. She felt something break in her chest and it became hard to breathe. She looked up to where the noise had come from and saw Willow, Buffy, Spike and Giles stood in the midst of the fighting. Willow held out her hands and whispered something, and power emanated from her being.

The infected all around them fell to the ground as the shockwave of power travelled over them. The group from the office block paused in their fighting and it was then Faith noticed Gunn slumped over a grief stricken Wesley. Fred ran from the building, closely followed by Lorne, her footsteps taking her straight to their fallen friend.

The dark Slayer turned her gaze back to Angelus. He had not fallen and was looking at the returned Slayer and her small party with hatred in his eyes. She gasped for air and it drew his attention back to her and he smiled wickedly, pulling her to her feet and spinning her round so her back was against his chest. He clasped her throat, holding her tight and cutting off her air even more than before.

She felt her head begin to clear and she realised the rage was dissipating from her. She could feel his cold breath on her ear, and knew she was going to die.

'Just so you feel every second of what I do to you, dearest Faith, I've cured you.' He straightened up and levelled his gaze with Buffys as she began to move towards him. 'Buff. What a nice surprise. But this is only the preliminaries. I've got so much more to give you.' He ran his hand down Faith's front, groping her with no care for her injured body. She winced and gasped again, feeling his hand tighten. Buffy broke into a run, only for Angelus to sink his fangs into Faith's throat and rip out the artery, spraying blood down her and over the ground in front of her.

And in a flash he disappeared, leaving Faith to drop into the arms of her sister Slayer.

* * *

**A/N: **Please forgive me. I loved Faith in the series, when she was all bad girl Slayer and again when she returned. She is one of my favourite characters. But this was necessary for the story.


	20. Long Road To Ruin

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR:** They have the staff, and they've got back to LA...but there have been casualties along the way.

**A/N:** Two chapters in one night! Count yourselves treated (seeing as I didn't post last week, but it was my birthday and I had one too many Jagerbombs to turn my computer on!)

* * *

**LONG ROAD TO RUIN**

* * *

The doors to the Hyperion were in front of them, the blackness of the night following them. They hadn't come across any infected on the way home, which was probably a good thing, as they were all battle weary. Willow's spell would only hold the infected back for a couple of hours, and they needed that time to rest. Buffy had suggested the hotel only because it was familiar and because there wasn't really any safe place anymore. As long as they avoided the first floor and the scene that she knew would still be there...

She shook her head clear of the awful memory. She would have time to grieve later. Right now, they had to take care of injuries. Fred's hand needed bandaging again, as she had done it further damage using the cross bow. She was currently shuffling along in Wesley's embraced, her eyes red and rimmed from the guilt of her earlier actions. Wesley looked much the same; his guilt for killing his friend visible to everyone.

Lorne followed close behind, with Willow and Connor either side. Giles brought up the rear behind them, his solemn gaze focused on the back of the ones in front. Xander walked with his arm around Cordelia, both former lovers offering comfort to the other. And behind everyone, Spike dragged his feet, keeping his distance, the staff strapped to his back. He looked odd, dressed in the baggy oversized jumper and jeans she'd given him before they'd been attacked at the hotel the first time around. His eyes were more haunted now than ever before, and she felt his pain acutely. He felt the guilt of this situation as much as she; soul or no soul.

As the group trudged through the doors of the abandoned hotel, Buffy ignored the bloodstains on the floor, or the chains on the radiator pipes where Faith had been restrained. The Slayer squeezed her eyes shut for a second, willing the tears to go away. She had held the dark Slayer as the last vestiges of life had left her, and it was her fault all these girls were dead. She had shared the power, she had put them in danger...she'd given the amulet to Spike in the first place.

She stood by the door, watching as everyone else got settled in the foyer. Wesley and Fred headed for the main desk, digging out books and notes. Giles followed them, somewhat reluctantly, his gaze settling for the briefest of moments on the blonde vampire as he disappeared into the blackness upstairs. Buffy watched him leave too and then moved away from the door, moving past Xander and Cordelia, who were tidying up and lighting candles to improve the dim atmosphere provided by the emergency lights.

The Slayer walked into the office, her eyes wandering over the damage in there. She pulled the big recliner into an upright position and sat down, letting the weariness overtake her for a moment, placing a hand over her eyes as she let a few tears escape.

'You should be crying.' Giles' voice filtered through to her from the doorway. 'This is your fault after all.'

Buffy froze, her tears drying almost instantly as she focused her gaze on Giles. He moved further into the room, kicking at a book on the floor.

'Of course, if I'd just killed that damn vampire myself, we wouldn't have to worry about any of this. But it was always the way. I don't know why you couldn't just stake them. Instead of letting them _stake_ you.' He grinned and Buffy felt a stab of fear at his vulgar words.

'Giles...'

'_Giles!_' He mimicked, standing in front of her with his arms folded across his chest. 'Honestly, you are pathetic. And to think you have all this power. Not that it's made much of a difference. You're still covered in Faith's blood. You've killed or been the cause of death many times. You think I ever forgave you for Jenny? That was your fault. All because you couldn't keep your legs fucking shut.'

Buffy choked on a sob. 'Giles...stop...you're infected.'

'Infected?' Giles bent down, snarling in her face. 'I'm free.'

A hand clamped over his shoulder and threw him backwards into the wall. Giles laughed as he clambered to his feet, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the blond vampire stood protectively over Buffy. Spike glared at him, flexing his free hand. His other still gripped the staff. Giles' gaze flitted to it for the briefest of seconds and Spike growled.

'I'd remove yourself Ripper, before I remove you.' His voice was low but held no fake threats. He meant every word. Giles stared him down for a few seconds.

'Right then. I'd rather not be around when you two send the world to hell away.' He stormed from the office, throwing a few choice insults at the others before slamming the remains of the Hyperion door on the way out. Buffy watched him leave, tears threatening to overflow from her hazel eyes at the cruelty of her Watcher. Spike turned to her when he was sure Giles was gone and bent down, placing the staff on the floor beside him as he brushed hair out of Buffy's eyes with his spare hand.

'You alright pet?' He asked and she nodded somewhat dumbly. 'He's infected. What he said wasn't the truth.'

'Sometimes the truth is crueller than the lies, Spike. You of all people should know that.' She whispered, flinching when he placed a finger under her chin.

'He's your Watcher. We'll get him back and cure him and we'll get through this. That's the truth. Focus on it.' Buffy looked up, shining hazel eyes boring into his ice blue orbs. Slowly, she smiled a little and then ran her hand down his cheek.

'I'm so glad I got you back.' Her voice was barely a breath as she leant in to kiss him. Before she could touch him, a cough came from the doorway and both blondes looked over, guilt strewn across their faces as they gazed at Xander. The former carpenter smiled and waved a little.

'Cordy is whipping up some food. I'm assuming that by the way Giles left, he's off the team for now.'

'We'll get him back.' Buffy said. 'We're gonna have to figure out how to do this without him though. I don't think called Dawn is going to be an option.' She looked over at Spike and then down to the staff on the floor. 'We need to figure out how to make that work.'

Spike picked up the staff, his eyes connecting with the Slayers as he held out his hand to her. 'Well, in the absence of Rupert, we'll have to hope Watcher Junior can pull through.'

* * *

The lobby was silent, and Buffy had taken the opportunity for a quick nap. She was curled up on the sofa in the centre of the room, her hair covering her face and her reclaimed scythe clutched in her hand. Willow had located it hidden upstairs, and she had taken the time to seal off the room where the Slayers had been. After all this was done with, they had a lot of burials to attend to. Xander had already made mention of returning to collect Faith and Gunn from the office building, but they didn't have time to dig holes and grieve now.

Wesley and Fred had returned to the books, and Spike had taken to guarding them all, the staff remaining in his possession. They had tried to touch the scythe and staff together, but nothing had happened, so they assumed they were unconnected. Xander was cleaning up weapons, figuring that the battle they had scraped through would not be the last, and Cordelia was gathering together all their supplies. Lorne had tended to everyone's injuries and was now reading through another book of prophecies, hoping, along with Wes and Fred, that they would find _anything_ to figure out how to fight the First.

It was with a loud shout that Buffy was awoken and she jumped to her feet, finding Wesley stood up, his face animated about something he had found. The Slayer relaxed, rolling her eyes.

'Don't shout so loud next time Wes. You might wake the...' She trailed off at her distasteful pun, her eyes flickering to the next level. In a second, she felt Spike at her back, his hand on the bottom of her spine, providing the comfort she needed.

How had she ever gotten through without him?

'What did you find?' Fred asked, peering over at Wesley's notes.

'A reference to the staff. It was forged in Opis by the Gods. But it isn't a tool. It's a _prison._ Or rather, containment for a sleeping power. From what I can deduce, Spike has to be consumed by the power in order to control it.'_  
_

'How can you be consumed by power and then control it? Consumed pretty much screams _eaten_.' Buffy frowned, looking over her shoulder at Spike, her eyes darting to the staff in his possession.

'I don't know what to do with this next part. It's archaic Latin. It makes no sense.' Wesley scowled at the book, looking down at his notes and attempting to cross reference. Fred looked at it and shook her head.

Xander chuckled. 'I'd take a gander but I doubt I'd be much help, how about you Cordy?' The former cheerleader smacked him playfully.

Spike shifted from his position, moving round the Slayer and over to the counter, looking down at the book. Wesley looked at him curiously. 'You know this form of Latin?' The watcher's eyes bored into the vampire, who grimaced.

'I wasn't a common street thug, contrary to what you Watchers liked to write about me. That form of Latin was used by secular monks at the turn of the thirteenth century.' He pointed at the passage.

'Well? What does it say?'

'It's quite simple. _Et in sacrificium meum natus placet. _"I accept my duty and the sacrifice borne within".'

The staff suddenly jumped to life, fire burning through the engravings on the wood. Spike looked down at it, shock and surprise on his face as he held it up. Buffy watched, enthralled by the mini-light show, watching with growing concern as the symbols travelled off of the staff and onto the exposed skin of Spike's arm. It seemed to expand and crawl over him and he slowly began to shake, a groan forming in his throat as a burst of energy threw him back against the wall. Buffy shrieked his name and ran to him, only find herself held back.

Spike continued to convulse and his groans turned into tortured screams. Wesley moved to Buffy, holding her back from the force that surrounded Spike, afraid it might injure her. She fought against him, tears running down her cheeks.

'It's hurting him! It's killing him! I only just got him back, I can't, I can't lose him again! DO SOMETHING!' She screeched, slumping in Wes's arms as Willow moved over to her.

'I can't, Buffy. Whatever is happening...I can't stop it.'

Suddenly the lobby fell silent and Spike stopped screaming, his convulsions stopped abruptly. The staff stopped glowing and the symbols stopped moving, imprinting themselves onto Spike's skin. The group watched, no one willing to break the silence. Buffy disentangled herself from the others and crawled to Spike, reaching out a hand to touch him.

As her skin made contact with his, she dropped to the floor like a stone, and Willow screamed.

* * *

Buffy groaned, opening her eyes. She rolled over, placing a palm flat on the floor to push herself up. But the marble floor had disappeared and been replaced with sand.

'Ugh. So sick of sand.'

'How do you think I feel?' Her head snapped round at the sound of another person, and she pushed herself upwards, looking around for him. The voice sounded like Spike's but without his rough accent, and none of the emotion she could usually read in everything the vampire said. Turning almost three hundred and sixty degrees, she saw him.

He was dressed in much the same as he had been when he'd been "consumed" by the power of the staff, and the symbols were still on his skin. Except now his eyes were completely white, as well as his head, and she knew that Spike was no longer in the driving seat.

'Who are you and what have you done with my vampire?'

'Please. Do not panic. He is unharmed. I am merely...borrowing, his form. I work through him. He was the chosen vessel for my essence, as Angelus is the chosen vessel for The First. It was always written this way.'

'You didn't answer my question.' Buffy folded her arms over her chest. 'And I've had a rough couple of days. I'm damage bound.'

The being using Spike's body chuckled and raised his hands. 'Again. I am only borrowing this form. This place is merely an illusion.' He gestured to the sands around him and the river winding through the landscape. For the first time, Buffy noticed the brilliant sun shining down on them and she squinted, wondering where she was. The being noticed her discomfort and nodded.

'We are inside the staff. My prison for more than a thousand millennia. This cage was forged by the gods themselves, to keep me until The First inevitably escaped from a similar cage crafted for her. We are two halves and one cannot exist without the other. The First cannot be completely destroyed, neither can I. But we can be caged. The First is angered by her prison. I welcome mine.'

'You are making very little sense to me.' Buffy grumbled, furrowing her brow. 'I don't understand what this has to do with the apocalypse.'

'The First must be returned to her eternal prison. The only being who can do that is me. And I can only work through the one champion destined for this. Ever since William was borne, he was destined for this.' The being's eyes landed on her. 'Just as he was destined for you.'

Buffy went pale, her eyes wide. 'D-destined?'

'We should start again yes?' The being held his - Spike's - hand out and smiled brightly. 'My name is Gaea.'

Buffy stared at him dumbfounded.

* * *

**A/N: **A short chapter to leave you with for next week, but I'm already working on next week's instalment. Things are hotting up now!


	21. Surfacing

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR:** It looks like Spike, but it's not him...

**A/N: **I'm going to apologise if this is the last chapter for a couple of weeks, we have had a family bereavement and I have numerous other events going on for the rest of August. I will try my hardest to get another chapter out to your guys as soon as possible. Thank you for your continued support and reviews.

* * *

**SURFACING**

* * *

Dawn tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for something to happen. She'd been stood here for an hour, arguing her case. She knew she was needed elsewhere; _they_ said she wasn't ready to go. And naturally, as powerful as she'd recently discovered she was, she couldn't disobey _them_.

Stupid Powers That Be.

They'd explained the whole situation to her, and how it would go down, if it went down correctly. Dawn had pointed out the tendency of things to completely bypass the plan and fuck up (and boy, did they ever _not_ appreciate her language) but they had assured her it would end as they predicted. But only if she remained calm and returned to the earthly plan at the opportune moment.

At which point she had huffed and told them to get out. Now she was stood alone, watching the events in the Hyperion with growing concern. She could see whoever she wanted, but she couldn't say anything or _do_ anything about it and as a Summers' woman, that was driving her batty beyond belief.

Spike was gone. Well, not gone, he was in his body somewhere, just not in the drivers seat. _They_ had told her that he still had a part to play in the fight, but did not elaborate any further. Buffy had somehow been sucked into the staff to talk with Gaea, who, from what Dawn understood, had had a part in her original creation as the Key. Not as Dawn Summers; that had been entirely the monks making. They'd drawn on the two strongest warriors known in the world and those warriors were Buffy and Spike. The monks had no clue just how integrated the two blondes' destinies were at the time.

_They_ attributed it to pot luck.

Dawn tried not to think of it as Spike and Buffy being her parents, because that was a little squick. Whilst she knew which memories were fabricated, as far as she was concerned, Buffy was her sister, Joyce was her mother and Spike was the psuedo-brother who had eyes for her big sister. It made her happy that he was actually her blood family after all, but if she thought about it too much, it became a bit too confusing for her to handle, no matter how great her capacity for knowledge was right now. She knew full well that once she returned to them, her abilities would be greatly reduced from what they were here, but she was okay with that. Just being back in her normal (ish) life with her family and friends would make her happier than anything.

But she had to wait. And watch.

How _boring._

* * *

Gaea watched the Slayer carefully, waiting for any sign that she had understood what he had said so far. Her mouth was hanging open in the most adorable fashion, and he found it completely easy to accept exactly what his host saw in her. He could see the raw power curling through her aura, and it was intoxicating. No wonder Spike's demon had fallen to her so easily.

A few moments passed and she fell to a seated position in the sand, her eyes wandering up to his face. He looked so much like him. _He is him...technically._ Aside from the creepy-ass black white eyes, she could fool herself that nothing had changed. Until he spoke and Spike's roughened Cockney accent didn't come from his mouth, but that emotionless, over-enunciating voice that sounded like Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.

'You understand what is happening here?' He asked, looked down at her with what looked like amusement on his face.

Buffy stared at him and then swallowed, finding her voice again. 'Let me see. You're Gaea, the _other half_ of The First Evil and only you can push her back into her hellish prison, which was apparently the dimension she had twisted to her needs that was my not so pleasant vacation a few days ago. You've already trapped her once before, millions of years ago, until a imbalance before my birth allowed her to get free and start building up her forces again. My death tipped the balance completely and then Spike's death in the hellmouth let her get the final pieces of power she needed, which allowed her to be corporeal and cause all this chaos. You and Spike combined is the only way to defeat her. And I'm the only one who can defeat her vessel, which you _think_ is Angel, based on Spike's memories.'

Gaea nodded, waiting for her to continue.

'You have to trap her, because she can't be destroyed right? How do we do that?'

'I have to weaken her. You cannot destroy the First Evil. Without evil, there can be no good. She is the darkness to the light. As I am the light to the darkness. We are opposites of the spectrum. Just as Spike is the darkness to your light.'

'But Spike is good now.'

'Yes, but he will always be a dark being. He has no soul.'

'The soul doesn't matter.'

'And I'm glad you acknowledge that, although it took you long enough.' Gaea grinned at her and Buffy shuddered a little. It looked wrong, like Gaea didn't know how to manoeuvre in the body he had. 'However, acknowledging that the soul does not matter is not the same as accepting it. You cannot truly love Spike until you do and until you do, you cannot become the powerful unit you could be.'

'Unit? Do I look like a piece of machinery to you?' Buffy got to her feet, an indignant look on her face. Gaea chuckled.

'Forgive me. It is difficult sometimes to adjust to the language of these times. Slang is very new to me. I'm having to glean most of it from Spike's memories.'

'And yet you haven't said "bloody" once.' Buffy smiled a little and put her hands on her hips, looking around. 'Well, I doubt very much that we can fight the First from in this little holiday spot of yours, can we actually get out of here?'

Gaea looked around and gestured with his arms. 'You just need to wake up.'

* * *

Fred knelt beside Buffy and checked her pulse for the thousandth time. It was steady and strong, like it had been every other time. For all intents and purposes, the Slayer was merely asleep. Xander sat beside his unconscious friend, Cordelia asleep on his lap. Spike remained where he had fallen - after Buffy had touched him, no one else was willing to.

She looked over at Wesley. He was in a bad shape, but steadfastly remaining awake, keeping his focus on the books. She swore that with each moment the patch of blood on his shirt grew larger, but when she questioned him, he told her not to worry and squeezed her hand gently. His eyes rang with guilt from what had happened with Gunn and she knew that he felt wholly responsible for the death of their friend, even though it was the infection that ultimately doomed him. One of them was going to die in that street; that much was inevitable.

A noise caught her attention and Wesley looked over as Spike stirred and stood. He blinked a few times and Fred noticed that there was no colour in his eyes and the strange markings on his skin remained, showing through the holes in the battered clothing he wore. The vampire shook himself and moved over to the Slayer, crouching down beside her and touching her arm gently.

'Spike?' Fred whispered, her eyes not quite believing what she was seeing. The vampire looked up at her and smiled.

'Not right at this moment, Winifred.' He looked back down to the Slayer, who opened her eyes and gasped. After a few deep breaths, she pushed herself upright and looked round.

'The Hyperion.' She sighed. 'Remind me that when this is all over, I should never come back here. Ever.' She climbed to her feet and brushed herself down, noticing the staff laying on the floor. 'Don't you need that?'

Gaea looked down at the discarded staff and shook his head. 'It should remain here until we are done. I would recommend you bring your Slayer weapon however.' He looked down at Xander and smiled at the boy, who blinked with his one good eye.

'You're not...Spike...' He stuttered slowly, his movement causing Cordy to awaken.

'No I am not. I am Gaea.'

'Okay.' Cordy pulled herself up off of Xander. 'So where's Spike?'

'He's still in residence.' Buffy said. 'Just not in the driver's seat right now.' Xander eyed her carefully.

'You look surprisingly okay with this.'

'We had a chat.' She shrugged.

'While you were all with the unconsciousness?' The brunette asked, helping Cordelia to her feet.

'Pretty much.' The Slayer replied.

'Buffy!' Willow shrieked, running into the room. 'You're awake!' She embraced her friend and then turned to Gaea. 'Wow. Make over?' She giggled. 'I'm joking. I know who you are. Your aura practically screams it.'

'Gaea, Willow. Willow, Gaea.' Buffy introduced them. Gaea bowed his head at the witch and she smiled.

'Nice to have you on board.'

'So what do we do now?' Cordelia asked, looking between the Slayer and Gaea expectantly.

'I don't know. I know we have to face down the First and Angelus. But where do we find them?' Buffy asked, chewing her lip thoughtfully.

'Angelus is not one to hide from his enemies. He will make himself known eventually.' Wesley commented. Gaea looked at him and nodded.

'Be that as it may, the longer we leave it, the more destruction this world endures.' He said. 'They are in this city somewhere. LA is the biggest culmination of evil that is not located on a Hellmouth. The First will linger on consecrated ground. She likes to mock those who created this world.'

'So a cemetery?' Buffy raised an eyebrow.

'Or somewhere that used to be a cemetery.' Wesley chirped up. 'Wolfram and Hart, from I discovered, was an Indian burial ground. It was consecrated with the blood of a murderer before they built the LA branch there.'

'An Indian burial ground?' Xander exclaimed. 'That's all kinds of Hammer Horror right there!'

'We do not all need to go.' Gaea raised his palms. 'The Watcher is injured, gravely. I would suggest that only myself, the Slayer and the Witch go.'

'And leave us here, twiddling our thumbs?' Cordelia exclaimed. 'What about all those hordes of crazy people?' Gaea shook his head.

'This battle will not involve them. It will simply be us against the First and her consort.'

'Three on two? I like those odds.' Buffy smiled.

'Do not assume it will be easy. You will have to take down Angelus. He is the vessel. Once he is destroyed, it will weaken the First. Not much, but enough. And Willow will be needed to break through the defences that the First will have created. She does not chances. Neither do I.'

'Okay, so we watch the fort? I think on this occasion, I'm happy to sit this out.' Xander said, sighing heavily. 'Although, it's not tradition.'

Buffy smiled at him, reaching out to rub a hand down his arm. 'You've done plenty Xan. Take a load off. We've got this one.' He nodded and looked to Cordelia who shrugged. Wesley resumed his sitting position, rubbing a hand over his sweating forehead. Buffy looked at him concerned. 'Can I suggest that someone take a look at Wes? He doesn't look so hot.'

Fred nodded and moved to his side. 'I said that but he said I was overreacting.'

'He has internal injuries. He requires medical attention.' Gaea stated and Fred frowned, looking down at Wesley who looked sheepish.

'You are such a fibber.'

* * *

Angelus paced the floor, his anger palpable. "Darla" watched from her perch against the far wall of the office, smiling at him.

'You're too tense, darling. I thought that Slayer would have taken the edge off.' He glared at her and she rolled her eyes. 'Look, your eye is healed so your pretty face isn't damaged. You killed one of their friends in front of them, which I thought was genius. You've brassed the Slayer off, good and proper. She's going to be so all over the place, she'll be easy for you to-' She stopped abruptly, hissing and clutching her head. Her form shimmered and Angelus paused in his pacing to look at her. He was not concerned for her well being, more for his own.

'Problem?' He asked as "Darla" disappeared and took the form of a woman he'd never seen before. She was his height, with long raven black hair and eyes that were pools of darkness. She still wore the Catholic school girl outfit that "Darla" had been wearing, but the skirt was slightly too short for her long slender legs. Angelus waited for her to speak, as she glared at him. 'Another dead girl?' He asked.

'No, Angelus. This is my original form. The staff has been activated. I was hoping it would be too late, but this creates a problem. You did not do as I ask and kill William before he could accomplish this.'

'I was a bit distracted.' The vampire spat.

'They found the answer sooner than I anticipated. But no matter. I've amassed enough power. I can easy defeat Gaea when he comes for me.' She strode to the window, looking down over the ruined city. 'He does not have the power alone. And it will be easy to manipulate the vampire's mind so he can be destroyed.' She turned back to Angelus. 'But you _must_ kill the Slayer. It is imperative.'

Angelus scoffed. 'Easy enough done. She's pretty wrecked by now I imagine.'

* * *

Buffy strode along the street, her scythe in her hands and her face set in determination. Gaea walked slightly ahead of her, and Willow was by her side. The witch nudged her friend and nodded in Gaea's direction.

'He's kinda...'

'Wiggy?' Buffy replied. Willow nodded. 'I know. I miss Spike. I miss the old Spike. The one who never shut up. I mean, torture by the First aside, he was different before his body was invaded by an ethereal being.'

'But we've got a better chance with the ethereal being right?'

'I hope so. He seems fairly confident. And he has done this before.' The Slayer replied, swinging the scythe lazily. 'Are we anywhere near where we're going? LA is hard to navigate with all this...destruction. Do you think it'll have to be rebuilt after this?'

Willow shrugged. 'Probably.'

Gaea stopped suddenly and looked to his left. Buffy and Willow watched as his eyes seemed to shine for a second and then he moved, heading down the street with a quicker pace than before. The two women looked at each other and followed, almost running to keep up. For three blocks he kept at a ridiculous pace and by the time he stopped, Buffy and Willow were both panting. They paused for a second, catching their breath as they looked up at the Wolfram and Hart offices.

'So...it doesn't look like it's been damaged at all.' Willow said, her eyes roaming over the exterior of the building.

'It's pretty deserted though.' Buffy said. 'It was bustling with people when I was last here.'

Gaea grimaced. 'She is inside. The consort too. I suggest we proceed ahead with caution.'

'Really? I was gonna run in, guns ablazin'.' Buffy said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. He looked at her, cocking his head to the side as Spike did. She shuddered. 'Yeah, your plan is better.' He smiled thinly and moved towards the building, waiting briefly at the doors for the two females to catch up. He moved swiftly and silently into the building, his blank eyes darting to every shadow.

'You sure this place is empty?' Buffy whispered and Willow and Gaea both nodded.

'I can't sense anything.' Willow whispered back. Buffy's eyes darted to the stairwell and she frowned.

'I can sense Angel.' She said, raising the scythe.

'I thought you said this place would be protected?' Willow asked Gaea and he nodded.

'It will be. She wants us here, but she will not make it easy.'

'They never do.' Buffy scowled, gripping her weapon tightly. 'Let's get this wagon rolling huh?' She took the lead, Gaea close behind and Willow trailing nervously. Despite her power, her fear was palpable. This was a fight she knew she wouldn't be forgetting in a hurry.

Silently they crept through the halls and stairwells, Gaea's white skin and hair almost glowing in the blackness. Around the fifth floor, he stopped, hissing at Buffy to halt. 'The roof. The consort has separated from her. They intend to split us up.'

'Figures.' Willow muttered. She tensed. 'The next floor up. There's a barrier.'

'Can you break through?' Buffy asked. Willow closed her eyes concentrating for a moment. After a few moments of silence, she opened her eyes, her pupils larger and blacker than they had been before.

'I can't tell from here. I need to be closer.' The Slayer nodded at her friend.

'Then let's move.'

* * *

On the roof, the First held her hands out wide, summoning every ounce of power she could possess. She inhaled deeply and looked down at the world she had almost conquered.

'They're here.'

A cruel smile split her face, and she turned to face the door access, waiting for her foe to appear.


	22. The Bitter End

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

**SO FAR:** It's the Final Countdown (duh duh duh duh, duh duh duh duh duh!)

**A/N: **You may not get another chapter for a fortnight after this, I'll do my best but will be be sans laptop for some of it and I have the Spartan Race next Sunday (eep!) so there's a good chance I'll be lapsing into a coma afterwards...

* * *

**THE BITTER END**

* * *

The barrier was ahead of them. The trio of warriors had drawn to a halt, and the witch stood slightly in front of the other two, her hands held out, her entire body shaking with the combined power and stress of bringing the field down, to allow them passage into what could be their final battle. Buffy watched her friend with wide and wary eyes, seeing nothing in front of her, but feeling the magical electricity in the air. It always left the taste of copper in her mouth, and she wondered briefly if that was a supernatural thing or something any ordinary person would feel around spells.

Gaea remained and still and impassive, no emotion playing on his pale face. It was strange to see Spike's body so perfectly still and steady - the vampire himself was always moving, always fidgeting. Buffy couldn't recall any time he had stayed still, except for when he slept and even then, he continued a small amount of movement. It seemed to her that his entire being had to constantly scream at the universe that he was there and he mattered.

It made her smile.

But Gaea unnerved her. She could feel the power coming from him, indeed, she could _see_ it if she looked hard enough. His whiter-than-white skin and hair, like someone had drained the colour from Spike's shell as well as his essence, and the blankness of his eyes spoke of a power eons older than hers; eons older than the magicks that Willow wielded like a sword again the enemy in front of them.

The Slayer's attention was distracted as Willow gasped and pitched forward and the air filled with static for a brief second. The hairs on Buffy's neck stood up on end and she shivered as the room cleared and the oxygen was easier to breathe. Willow pulled herself straight, breathing heavily, her eyes hooded and drained. Buffy moved to her friend and held an arm out, giving her support as she recovered. The red head smiled gratefully, watching as Gaea moved past them, holding one hand out.

'It's down.' Willow said, still gasping for breath. 'Trust me, it's down.'

'I expected it would take longer.' He said, looking back over at her. 'Your skills are far more honed than I thought. Hopefully the First will have made the same underestimation of your ability.'

Willow and Buffy looked at each other. 'I think that was a compliment.' The Slayer whispered, her gaze moving to follow Gaea as he headed for the stairs. 'You good to move?'

The witch shook her head. 'Go ahead. I can't sense any barriers now. She was just trying to stall us.' She let go of Buffy and moved to a bench in the hall. 'I'm going to rest for a moment. I'll catch up. Don't worry, I can take care of myself.'

Buffy nodded and turned, following after Gaea. She had more than enough faith in Willow's ability, knowing the witch was formidable opponent. She would be fine for a few minutes.

It took a few seconds to catch up to Gaea, who was barrelling ahead. He didn't look around and didn't seem to care if she was behind him or not until he stopped at the next flight of stairs, his gaze moving to fixate on her. She shivered under his white eyes, wishing that she could talk to Spike before they headed into this conflict.

'We are two floors below the roof.' He stated.

Buffy looked around. The floor was mostly in darkness, save for the emergency lights by the non-functioning lifts. 'This is the floor that Angel was on when we came here the first time.'

Gaea didn't show any acknowledgement of her words. 'Her consort is on the next floor. You will dispatch him.'

'I will?' Buffy blinked at his certain tone. Gaea looked down at her, his eyebrows lifting.

'You do not feel capable?' He asked and Buffy glared at him.

'I'm plenty capable. Maybe you should look inside Spike's memories and remember just how much I hate taking orders.'

Gaea stilled for a moment and then he sighed. 'I apologise. I have not had time to adjust to your...sensibilities.'

Buffy didn't know whether to be offended. She opened her mouth several times, and then closed it as Gaea moved off. Apparently the conversation was finished. She gripped the scythe, jogging to catch up as he headed up the stairs, leaving the lobby behind.

It was darker on the next floor, and Buffy felt the telltale tingling of a vampire nearing. She tensed, watching carefully, the only thing she could see clearly being the back of Gaea's head. He stopped abruptly and she almost went into the back of him, tutting as she did so.

'What?' She hissed, knowing that if it had been Spike, he'd probably have been smacked upside the head by now. He didn't reply and she narrowed her eyes at the back of his head, glaring daggers at him.

'Buffy. How nice of you to drop by.' A leering voice came from the darkness and Buffy froze, waiting for the fear to kick in. She hated that voice, and knew that with it came all the insecurities of the past, her teenage terrors and worries. But this time was different.

Now there was just anger.

Angelus stepped from the shadows, looking at the two, his eyes sweeping over Gaea with confusion. 'Well. That's a..._different_ look, Willy.'

Gaea watched the vampire coldly, noting the jet black eyes and the way his figure almost vibrated with the evil energy of the the First. He looked over at Buffy, and noted the cold hatred on her face, scenting her anger in the air. He looked back to the vampire, and then moved away, knowing Buffy was capable of handling herself, and focusing on his own fight. The Slayer didn't even watch him leave, her gaze focused fully on Angelus.

The vampire watched his childe walk away and sniggered. 'Did you finally break him, Buff?'

She furrowed her brow, her eyes boring into his with a palpable fury. 'Shut up.'

'Aw. Did I touch a nerve? I know the First touched plenty of his.' He smirked, thrusting his hands in his pockets. 'I'm hoping to touch a few more of yours before the nights through. And it's going to be a long night. Some may say eternal.'

'God, do you _ever_ shut up?' Buffy asked, flipping the scythe over to her other hand. 'You're not even slightly funny. You're just clichéd evil. With really stupid hair. I never got Spike when he said that. But now I see it. You _do _have really stupid hair.'

Angelus' hand went to his brown locks out of habit and he growled, shaking off the comments. He vamped out, snarling at her. His eyes remained the endless black they had been before and Buffy didn't give it much consideration. If anything, it just helped with what she knew she had to do.

'You've got a smart mouth, Buff. I'll enjoy ripping that little pink tongue of yours out. You can still scream without one.' He began to circle, watching her as she followed his movements. 'I can smell your witch friend too. It's nice you brought dessert.'

'You really think you can beat me? I already dissected one of her little minions. I'll do the same to you.'

'Ah, you think so highly of yourself. Caleb was inferior. Just a means to an end. I'm much, much more. And you'll do well to remember it.' He leaned forward, leering at her. 'You could always just give yourself over. I'll let your friends live. Won't make it hurt so much.'

'Go fuck yourself.' She spat, her fingers itching to fight. He chuckled.

Suddenly he was behind her, his hands closing over her weapon and his voice in her ear. 'I'd much rather fuck you.'

* * *

Gaea stood in front of the roof access, his hand splayed across the door, feeling the power from the other side. She was stronger this time. But then, they both were. Both older, by millenia, and both had honed their power and anger from the time before. Even equals were not equal in this world. He had to put her back in her cage, before the world was destroyed and the balance ruined forever.

She'd never had an appreciation for the balance. Never had been able to see that her path would eventually destroy her. Power had corrupted the ultimate evil and she had to be restrained before it went too far.

Taking an unneeded breath, he pushed the door open and stepped out onto the roof. On the far side, facing him and with her arms outstretched, she grinned. Her black hair fanned around her, tendrils of power seeming to reach outwards from her tall, lithe form. Her jet black eyes collided with his white orbs and the battle was begun. He shut the door behind him, concentrating and gathering all the strength he possessed.

'This will not be like last time Gaea. I am stronger.'

'As am I.' He replied simply, no emotion in his voice.

'I will not go back into exile. Just think. You could stay. How powerful could we be together?' She asked, a hint of seduction in her voice. He paused, as if considering her words, and then he smiled.

'You know I am not corruptible. There is nothing to tempt me. My only desire is to restore and maintain the balance.'

'But your shell has desires. Needs. Wants. I know him.' She grinned wickedly. 'Intimately.'

Gaea was not moved by her words, and he took another step towards her. 'Are we to fight or are you content to throw ineffective words at me for the rest of eternity?'

The First scowled at him. 'You do not know what is happening here. You may have been released from the staff and you may have power. But you are not the key. Your host has to face me. He's the real hero here, Gaea. You're just the prelude.'

Gaea paused, his brow deepening over his white gaze. 'Your words are ineffectual.'

'Maybe they are.' The First placed her hands on her hips, staring at him. 'But this isn't.' She thrust her hands forward towards him.

A blast of power hit him hard and he flew back into the roof access door, grunting as he hit it. Within seconds, he had recovered and scrambled to his feet, his gaze narrowed on his opponent. He held his hands out, gathering his power before striking back.

The First only smiled.

* * *

Willow rubbed her temples, feeling the pressure of the magic taking it's toll. She slumped on the bench, looking around the hallway and tensing as she heard a noise. The low light made her eyes play tricks on her and she began to look around, wary of every shadow and crack. A scuffling noise had her jumping to her feet and she backed up against the wall, wondering desperately if she could summon any energy to run.

A giggle reached her ears and her head whipped round in the direction of it, her eyes wide and distraught.

Someone ran down the corridor behind her and she turned back, her fear taking hold.

Then she stopped. _Get a grip, Willow Rosenburg. You're a powerful witch. _She shook her head and looked up, focusing hard on the corridor in front of her. 'Illuminate.' She commanded and the corridor lit up. She moved slowly back the way they had come. Turning the corner, she came face to face with the focus of the noise.

The corridor was filled with infected citizens.

Willow's mouth fell open. 'Oh, that's not good.'

* * *

Buffy pulled her head back and collided her skull with Angelus' forehead. He relinquished his grip on the scythe for a second and she wrenched away, spinning to face him from the other side of the corridor. Her head throbbed and her eyes narrowed at her former boyfriend, a barely suppressed growl escaping her throat. Angelus was chuckling, watching her with those inky black pools.

'Your boy will lose. She's got it all under control. You might think whatever has hijacked him will do the job, but once she forces him back and gets little Willie-boy again, he'll break. She's broken him once, she can do it again.'

Buffy snarled in a very unladylike manner, and she ran at him with a series of quick kicks and a swipe with the scythe. Angelus just laughed and avoided her blows, pushing her backwards so she slid across the polished floor of the corridor. She hit the wall with a crunch, and grunted, knowing it wasn't her bones that had crunched, but the very posh wood panelling underneath the impact. She took a second to recover and then pushed herself up off of the floor.

'She said he screamed a lot in the beginning. Begged for you a lot. Actually thought you'd rescue him. Until a couple of centuries had passed, from his perspective. Then he just whimpered. Like a small child.' Angelus stroked his chin in thought, smiling all the while. Buffy stared at him, wondering why she hadn't killed him yet.

'You talk too much.'

'Oh and Spike is a paragon of silence. My god that boy did prattle on.'

'And you wonder where he got it from?' Buffy scoffed, hefting the scythe up again. Angelus eyed her weapon.

'You know what I don't get?' He asked, beginning to circle again. Buffy followed suit, rolling her eyes at his words. She knew he wouldn't shut up this whole fight. He never could resist his own voice. 'How you ended up with him. I mean, he had no soul when you were fucking him. Although, I can't blame you for that one, he is a very good fuck.' Buffy's eyes widened and Angelus laughed loudly. 'He never told you about our time together, no?'

Buffy clamped her mouth shut. not dignifying him with an answer. He chuckled again.

'He was always such a responsive lover. Even when he was begging for me to stop.'

Buffy growled again and lunged for him, but he dodged easily, kicking her in the ribs on the way past and winding her. She coughed but maintained her balance and focus on her target.

'What I don't get though, is how you didn't kill him for his sheer patheticness. I mean, he was bad enough to start with. Add that stupid government thing he got and then the soul...my god. He was always spouting about destiny when he was a fledge. And from what I understood from Dru, he didn't change much.' Angelus laughed again. 'But then, you're not exactly non pathetic. You've been pretty down there too, Buff.' He shrugged. 'Maybe you were made for each other after all.'

Buffy stopped circling and dropped her stance, her eyes going wide with incredulity.

'God. You are such a bore.' She announced, pleased when Angelus stopped and his expression became shocked in an instant. 'People told me of course, Spike the most, but I never realised just. How. Damn. Boring. You. Are.' She punctuated each word with a stab to the air with the scythe.

Angelus growled. 'We'll see how boring I am when all you hear is your own screams for the rest of eternity.' Buffy rolled her eyes.

'You'll torture me, yadda yadda yadda, make Spike watch and all that rot.' She held the scythe up. 'Can we just fight?'

The vampire opposite her snarled and launched, pinning her against the wall with her own weapon. 'Yeah sure. If you like.' And he bared his teeth to bite.


End file.
